Moment, 1 Time, Never Again

Ichigo Ichie: One Moment, One Time, Never Again

I recently returned from two weeks in Japan—first in Nozawa Onsen, a small farming and ski village where the way of life is simple, deeply connected, and slow—before exploring the rich culture in Kyoto and Tokyo.

I had originally gone for the cherry blossoms. The adventure. The beauty of Japan in spring.

But serendipitously, a friend forwarded me a yoga and meditation retreat to weave into the journey—and then to top it off, the gift of having my mother join me made it all the more precious.

I began the trip with the intention of slowing down, cultivating stillness, savoring, but what I came back with was much deeper.

There’s a Japanese phrase that echoed through every part of my trip: Ichigo Ichie.

"One moment, one time. Never again."

 This is far more than a poetic sentiment. It’s a way of seeing the world—of honoring each moment as singular, sacred, and unrepeatable.

This moment, right now, will never happen again.

The Moment That Will Never Come Again

In Nozawa, we wandered cobblestone streets and soaked in the healing warmth of the hot springs, surrounded by snow-dusted rooftops and a silence that felt ancient.

One day, we visited the rare snow monkeys—who live and bathe in the onsens (natural healing hot springs). We stood watching them, wild and free, the snow embracing all of us around us.

 I looked over at my mother—this woman I’ve shared so much life with—and felt it.

 This moment.

This version of us.

The ease. The laughter. The unspoken knowing.

 It would never happen again.

And for a long time, I think I would’ve resisted that truth.

Not because it wasn’t beautiful—but because naming it felt like inviting in the ache of its passing.

As if acknowledging its impermanence might somehow shorten it.

 But I know now:

That fear doesn’t protect us.

It robs us.

It keeps us just far enough away from the moment that we don’t fully let it in.

 We think we’re avoiding pain, but what we’re really doing is missing life.

 So now, I let myself feel it all.

The wonder. The fleeting, breathtaking sacredness of now.

 Because that’s how we live it—fully, completely, and wholeheartedly.

The Cost of Constant Doing

And yet—there’s another way we miss.

Not out of malice.

But out of momentum.

We move at lightning speed—getting things done, making things happen, keeping up. We chase after the next win, the next email, the next item on the to-do list.

And while there is nothing wrong with striving, or achieving, or being ambitious...

When our identity becomes wrapped in output—

When our worth gets tied to how fast or how much we can do—

We quietly trade presence for productivity.

And in doing so, we lose the thread of ourselves.

We Forget How to Feel

In all that speed, we forget how to feel.

We override the signals.

We suppress the stirrings.

We shut down the parts of ourselves that need to rest, to grieve, to soften.

 We fear that slowing down will derail us—

That turning toward the emotion might flood us,

Or worse… stall our momentum.

 But what if it’s the very thing that brings us back?

 Because when we skip the processing, we clog the inner channels that allow life to flow.

 Beauty. Wonder. Insight. Joy.

 We fill our calendars—but hollow out our lives.

Reflection: What Are You Holding Onto?

Lately I’ve been asking myself:

✨ What am I doing because it once served me, but no longer does?

✨ What am I clinging to—out of fear, not truth?

✨ What parts of me are longing to be felt, held, honored… before they slip away unnoticed?

The Sacred Moment of “Is This It?”

I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders and entrepreneurs who are at the top of their game, yet quietly asking the same question:

“Is this it?”

That moment—of asking, of wondering—is sacred.

Because it’s the beginning of remembering. The moment we realize the life we’ve built may not reflect the life we want to live.

It’s not a dead end—it’s a doorway.

A doorway into self-inquiry.

Into deeper listening.

Into the tenderness of being human.

The Beginning of Returning

It’s the moment we get to bring fierce curiosity and compassion to ourselves.

To notice our pulls. Our cravings.

To honor the things that delight us, teach us, stir us.

But if we are moving too fast, we miss them.

We miss the signs. The whispers. The magic that beckons.

So today, I’m slowing down. Again.

And I’m inviting you to do the same.

Turn Inward

These aren’t just prompts. They’re invitations to return to yourself.

💡 What part of your life are you rushing past?

💡 What’s one moment today you could treat as sacred?

💡 If this exact moment would never come again—how would you meet it?

Let that be your anchor.

Let that be your reset.

Let that be the doorway back to presence.

A Space to Practice Presence—Together

This is why I created Calm & Connect.

A space to pause.

To reconnect.

To gently unhook from what no longer serves, and return to what’s real.

🌿 Calm & Connect. Sunday, May 18th.

And if you're a leader ready to bring this work into your organization—through keynotes, workshops, or weekly mindfulness sessions—this is the work I’ve done for over a decade.

 Helping high performers slow down enough to come alive again.

Helping organizations become more human.

 🔗 Join Calm & Connect

🔗 Explore 1:1 Coaching or Corporate Support

The Work We All Avoid… But That Changes Everything

I was ready to smash mud against the wall. Maybe even break some plates. Or rip off the door handles—something, anything.

It wasn’t just frustration. It was something deeper. An agitation that felt like it had hijacked my body, dripping with fear and fury.

Have you been there? When everything and everyone irritates you, but deep down, you know—it’s not really them?

I knew that if I wasn’t careful, I’d leave a wake of destruction behind me. Even if I didn’t lash out, even if I kept my words measured, the energy alone would reverberate through my interactions, my decisions, my day.

And here’s the thing:
That anger wasn’t me.

It was a state I was in. A moment I was experiencing.

 ✨ Meditation and mindfulness have given me the ability to know: I am not my emotions. I am not my frustration. I am not my stress.

But that doesn’t mean ignoring it.

Our first instinct when these emotions arise? Push them down. Disown them. Hide them under productivity, numbing, distraction. But when we do that? They don’t disappear. They fester. They grow. And they carve paths of destruction—inside us and around us.

So, instead of resisting, I did what I teach. I turned toward it.

A Simple But Powerful Reset

Try it.

Just a few moments of gentle touch can:
🌿 Activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest + digest mode).
🌱 Stimulate oxytocin (the “connection” hormone).
✨ Calm the vagus nerve, signaling safety to the brain.
💨 Allow for deeper breathing, reducing the chemical flood of stress.

And most importantly? It created space.

Space between me and the intensity of the moment.

Space to shift from, “This is happening to me” → to “Why is this here? What is this telling me?”

 And the answer always varies.

Sometimes, it’s insight into what someone else is experiencing—offering me greater clarity and empathy.

Sometimes, it’s a signal that I’ve been neglecting a change I know is needed.

But always, there is insight—if I’m willing to listen. 

The Hard Work of Peace

At our recent retreat, when I asked what people most wanted in their lives, the answer was overwhelmingly the same:

Peace. Internal peace.

Not more time. Not more money. Not even more success.

But here’s the truth: Peace isn’t something we find—it’s something we cultivate.

And while it’s simple, it’s not easy.

It requires:

🔥 Courage to face what’s within, even when it’s uncomfortable.
🌿 Commitment to practice, reflect, and grow—day after day.
🌱 Hard work to release old stories and build new ways of being. 

And while this work is challenging, staying stuck is harder.

The choice? Choose your hard.

Let’s Cultivate Peace—Together

Join Calm & Connect – a space where we practice grounding ourselves, creating clarity, and finding calm.
📅 Next Session: Sunday, February 09, 2025 at 10 AM CST
👉 Sign Up Here

 Or, if you’re an organization looking to support your teams in managing stress and creating clarity, let’s talk about The Reset Room—a transformative, multi-sensory experience designed to train the mind and reset the nervous system.

✨ Because when we master our minds, we reclaim our lives.

👉 Schedule The Alignment and Clarity Call here.

P.S. How do you bring yourself back when your mind runs away? Reply and let me know—I’d love to hear. 💬

🌀Stress isn’t the enemy—it’s the invitation.🌀

Stress gets a bad rap. And honestly, I get it. It's exhausting. Overwhelming. The kind of thing we often want to step away from, push under the rug, or numb altogether.

But here's something I've come to realize: not all stress is created equal.

Yes, there's the stress that drains us—the kind we all want less of. But there's also stress that has the power to stretch us, to expand our capacity, and to help us grow into the person we're meant to become.

Recently, I came across a National Geographic article that reinforced an idea we've explored before: a life completely devoid of stress isn't actually good for us. Studies show that people with no stress are more likely to experience cognitive decline.

Why?

Because our brains thrive on novelty and challenge. The hippocampus—our brain's hub for memory and learning—loves newness. Every time we lean into something new or uncomfortable, we're feeding it, strengthening it, keeping it sharp as we age.

The question, then, isn't “How do I avoid stress?” but rather, “How do I engage with it in a way that stretches me without breaking me?”

Two Keys to Navigating Stress

Not recklessly, but with curiosity and intention.

Because sometimes, stress is an invitation to grow.

Maybe it's showing up differently with family or in-laws, evolving past those long-standing dynamics that seem stuck at age 15 (or, let's be honest, age 5🤭). Maybe it's challenging yourself to handle a work deadline with clarity rather than chaos or breaking free from that inner dialogue that drains your energy.

This doesn't mean every stressor is worth leaning into. (I'm definitely not asking you to keep your hand on a hot stove!) But discomfort that stretches us—that nudges us toward growth—is worth exploring.

This process, called interoception, takes into account how well you've slept, what you've eaten, and the emotional or physical load you're carrying.

When your “financial” reserves are low, even small stressors can feel like mountains. That's why it's so important—especially in busy seasons—to replenish your internal “bank account.”

For me, that looks like:

• A daily morning meditation to start the day grounded.

• Committing to physical movement, even when it's tempting to skip it.

• Prioritizing 8 hours of sleep to let my body restore itself.

For you, it might mean:

• Limiting inflammatory habits like extra alcohol or sugar.

• Blocking off time in your calendar for rest or meaningful connection.

• Building intentional pauses into your day to recalibrate before stress builds.

What will help you save and replenish your reserves this season?

This Week's Calm & Connect: Cultivating Peace Amid the Swirl

This Sunday at 11am ET, I'll be diving into these ideas in our Calm & Connect session. Together, we'll explore how to navigate stress with intention and cultivate equanimity in the midst of it all.

👉🏼 Click here to sign up

Whether you're feeling stretched thin or simply want to center yourself for the weeks ahead, I'd love to have you join us.

A Rare Opportunity to Shed the Stress Before 2025 🎉🎊🎈

I've had such a blast facilitating many incredible MCC sessions already, and the transformations have been inspiring. While so many of the sessions have been exactly what I needed, technology hasn't exactly been my friend - and let's be honest, I have had a blast doing these!

That's why I'm keeping a few more spots open. I want to submit the absolute best two sessions for my certification while seeing who else I can support!

If this has been calling to you—or if you're ready to offload stress and shed what's no longer worth carrying into 2025—this is your chance to step into clarity and possibility.

These sessions are discounted to $275 (normally $675), will be recorded (audio only!) for evaluation purposes, and securely discarded afterward. You can sign up for 1 or TWO!

👉 Click here to book your session

Let's create the space for you to show up lighter, clearer, and more aligned in the new year.

Let's Step Into Growth Together

This season, let's not just survive stress—let's engage with it in ways that stretch us, evolve us, and prepare us for what's next.

Remember: how we end this year shapes how we begin the next. Let's make it intentional.

P.S. If you're ready to dive deeper into these practices, I'm still offering two discounted MCC coaching sessions for new clients through December. Let's uncover what's possible for you. 👉 Click here to book.

Breaking the Cycle: How to Transform Success into True Fulfillment

Ever feel like you're running a race you didn't sign up for…

…Only to realize you're chasing your own shadow? 👥 

Me too. We spend so much time and energy trying to outrun our fears, our frustrations, those nagging voices in our heads…ultimately, simply, ourselves.

And the kicker? All that running, and we find out, we've only been on a treadmill, 🏃🏾‍♀️ never truly arriving at a new destination. There may be different people next to us, but deep down, it still feels the same.

In our last chat (and newsletter), we touched on the power of sitting with discomfort—particularly the discomfort of being with our emotions rather than trying to outrun them. Today, I want to take it a step further and explore how avoiding that discomfort actually limits us—keeping us from being the bold, innovative, and, quite frankly, amazing humans we're not only capable of being but meant to be—and already are, beneath the muck of our mental mess.

And all it really does is keep us disconnected from our true selves. It's like having a memory-draining app running in the background, constantly leaking our energy and keeping us in a battle with ourselves. 🔋

I've seen it time and time again—initially in my own life, and then ultimately in the lives of the incredible people and leaders I've had the privilege to work with. My work isn't just about helping people "tinker with their brains"—it's about guiding them to truly see themselves, to stop running, and to start embracing the amazing, unique, bright, beautiful beings they are.

Because when we stop battling ourselves and start living in alignment, everything changes.

Transforming Success into Fulfillment…

Have you ever hit that point where you've “made it” or reached that precious goal but still feel like something's missing? I've been there. Misery or apathy often tag along on that journey, sometimes in a seesaw with the ego's grip on success.

But here's the thing—when we learn to sit with ourselves, to really be present with all those messy, uncomfortable feelings, and acknowledge how we sometimes bury our heads in the sand or overlook what's really there, we unlock something incredible: choice. 

The choice to act from a place of alignment rather than fear, to connect deeply with who we really are, and to start living—really living.

 And that's when everything changes. 

 We stop just going through the motions and start connecting more authentically, building deeper relationships, and unleashing creativity and inspired leadership we didn't even know we had. It's uncomfortable at first, sure. But trust me, it's worth it.

Calm & Connect: A Space to Get Real (and Maybe Laugh a Little)

This Sunday, I'm inviting you to join our Calm & Connect session at 11am EST/8am PST. We'll dive into these ideas, probably share a few laughs, and explore practical steps you can take to start or deepen this journey. Whether you're just beginning or looking to take it up a notch, this session will have something for you—and maybe even a surprise or two.

Something Exciting (and a Little Mysterious) on the Horizon…

 I'm bursting at the seams with something new and exciting that's coming soon. It's an initiative I've been working on with some incredible co-collaborators, and it's all coming together at a major conference in September. I can't wait to share more with you—stay tuned!

 In the meantime, if you're ready to stop running and start living in alignment, let's connect. Whether it's for yourself or your organization, I'm here to help you lead with clarity, heart, and maybe even a bit of irreverence. For some immediate zen, check out my Insight Timer page—more meditations are on the way because, yes, my Calm & Connect Community has spoken!