How many times have you wished you could take a short cut or read “CliffsNotes” to achieve results? The reality is as leaders, parents, and seekers we spend much of our time collecting information that can transform our lives, but stall when it comes to implementation.

I spent years creating a holistic balanced life that supported me as both a parent and leader. During this trial and error period, I kept my own version of CliffsNotes as I applied mindfulness techniques to life and work. I witnessed our organization’s turnover rates decrease from 33% to under 1% by revamping our goal and review processes and implementing 9 actionable principles. Experiencing this success motivated me to expand my notes into a book and program, Culture Infusion: 9 Principles to Create and Maintain an Organizational Culture to help others.

Inspired by Cliff Hillegass the creator of CliffsNotes, in the video below, I share my condensed version on how the 9 Principles of Culture Infusion can be your starting point to identifying potential enhancements in your firm.

If you would like to explore, understand, and encounter new ways to review your organizational structure, I am happy to assist you. We can start with a simple employee survey or assessment. Contact me today for more information. ​

​With a focus on whole-body awareness and some simple Ayurvedic suggestions, I learned how to turn a midday slump into midday intelligence. This 3,000 year old holistic approach works for adults and children by supporting our natural biological rhythms. The foods we choose can affect our body and brain causing us to slump or to flourish. With a little attention we can optimize our lunch choices for ourselves and our children at work, school, or home.
 
Midday Lunch
Ayurvedic food is used to sustain balance in the body and as a medicine to heal.  It is suggested that lunch is the largest meal, as our digestive fire is at its strongest. Taking the time to bring a homemade lunch fuels the mind and body to sustain balance and create mental clarity. Even though processed food is more convenient to pack, it can be laced with harmful additives and chemicals. Processed food lacks prana (life force) and intelligence that can disturb the intellectual rhythms. On the other hand, pure cooked food promotes balance and is easier to digest and absorb nutrients. This gives us strength to make it through a mentally challenging day. This is equally important if you have school aged children. A balanced diet enables us to better handle the emotional ups and downs of the day.
 
Tips:

• Use a thermos to store a freshly cooked meal.
• Try homemade soups and stews.
• Experiment with rice, bean, and vegetable combinations.
• Find options that are likable and easy to prepare in the morning.
• Save fruit for a snack.

 
In Ayurveda which literally translates to science of life in Sanskrit, it is recommended not to pair fruit with other food, making fruit the perfect after school or work snack option.
 
Midday Intelligence
Now that you have nourished your body it is time to attend to your brain. Take a few minutes to stretch or go for a walk. Quiet your mind by paying attention to each of your feet touching the ground feeling your feet stretch. Try meditating, focusing on your breathing, or making a mental gratitude list. (For guided relaxations and movement at your desk, check out all the options in the drop down on my personal wellness website: http://www.zendoway.com/videos.html). Visualize how you will interact with your loved ones when you greet them at the of their day. Formulate a few questions you can use to really interact.
 
Here are a few questions and leads to get you started:

• Tell me about the best part of your day.
• What was the hardest part of your day?
• Who did you eat lunch with?

 
As the new season is upon us and for our own well-being, it is critical to utilize our energy in the most effective and efficient ways. Nobody likes the midday slump, but with the slightest efforts Ayurvedic or Ayurveda can be utilized to energize your family’s day at work or school.
 
If you would like to add mindful energy to your day, contact me about my Make a Great Day! Program. Individual and companywide sessions are available. 

​

1.   My great-grandfather Cecil Stowers. His passion for educating children left the legacy of the Cecil B. Stowers Elementary School in Anaheim, CA. I was blessed to have spent summers under his guidance through high school.

He taught me to respect everyone. Walking by his side I witnessed him thanking every person he encountered at each establishment. Each person as important as the last; none labeled as less than or more integral than another. I saw his gratitude towards teamwork as he discussed how each person is necessary on a team.

He took me to the library. I cherished our quiet time at the library where we read together. What made it special was that he never told me I had to read, we just did. He truly led by example.

He gave me the gift of confidence. I believed in myself because he believed in me and asked me about my dreams and passions. He demonstrated this with effective listening. He was fully present, asked me sincere questions, and asked how he can support me to achieve my goals.

2.   My 8th grade basketball coach. He shared his journey on how he had to work hard to be his best and in turn, I dug in deeper to reach my highest potential. We experienced teamwork and the importance of coming together with plays. To this day, the shot I took in one of those plays, I make with ease. With our dedication, we won the 8th grade championship as the underdogs with our short, yet scrappy team (I am 42 in the picture). I lived the importance of playing to each team member’s strengths. 

As he was giving out awards, he spoke of a natural leader who inspired and lifted each of the team members up. I thought to myself, I want to be that person. As he called my name, I was in shock, yet felt responsible to continue being that person he described. From that day forward, I have been passionate about lifting others up to see their best qualities as he saw something I did not see in myself. I felt the value of being appreciated.

With a focus on whole-body awareness and some simple Ayurvedic suggestions, I learned how to turn a midday slump into midday intelligence. This 3,000 year old holistic approach works for adults and children by supporting our natural biological rhythms. The foods we choose can affect our body and brain causing us to slump or to flourish. With a little attention we can optimize our lunch choices for ourselves and our children at work, school, or home.
 
Midday Lunch – Ayurvedic food is used to sustain balance in the body and as a medicine to heal.  It is suggested that lunch is the largest meal, as our digestive fire is at its strongest. Taking the time to bring a homemade lunch fuels the mind and body to sustain balance and create mental clarity. Even though processed food is more convenient to pack, it can be laced with harmful additives and chemicals. Processed food lacks prana (life force) and intelligence that can disturb the intellectual rhythms. On the other hand, pure cooked food promotes balance and is easier to digest and absorb nutrients. This gives us strength to make it through a mentally challenging day. This is equally important as you send your children off to school. A balanced child is better able to handle the emotional ups and downs of their school day.
 
Tips:

• Use a thermos to store a freshly cooked meal.
• Try homemade soups and stews.
• Experiment with rice, bean, and vegetable combinations.
• Find options that are likable and easy to prepare in the morning.
• Save fruit for a snack.

 
In Ayurveda which literally translates to science of life in Sanskrit, it is recommended not to pair fruit with other food, making fruit the perfect after school or work snack option.
 
Midday Intelligence – Now that you have nourished your body it is time to attend to your brain. Take a few minutes to stretch or go for a walk. Quiet your mind by paying attention to each of your feet touching the ground feeling your feet stretch. Try meditating, focusing on your breathing, or making a mental gratitude list. Visualize how you will interact with your child when you greet them after school. Formulate a few questions you can use to really interact with your children.
 
Here are a few questions and leads to get you started:
 

• Tell me about the best part of your day.
• What was the hardest part of your day?
• Who did you eat lunch with or play with on the playground?

 
As the new school year is upon us and for our own well-being, it is critical to utilize our energy in the most effective and efficient ways. Nobody likes the midday slump, but with the slightest efforts Ayurvedic or Ayurveda can be utilized to energize your family’s day at work or school.
 
If you would like to add mindful energy to your day, contact me about my Make a Great Day! Program. Individual and company wide sessions are available.  

Do you have a to-do list a mile high? Too much on your plate? Have you ever had a hard time delegating? I know this has been a struggle for me over the years.

With guidance from my team of coaches, I have been focusing even more attention on delegating and empowering others.

First, I was guided to notice which tasks did not “light me up.” I got honest and realized they were mostly administrative in nature. I asked my internal team to step up and take ownership of their newly delegated responsibilities. 

I see how they are more empowered as I let them take the lead. My long-term finance manager truly took the increase in responsibility and ownership to heart and led the operational side of our UK office opening.

Her efforts were rewarded when we promoted her mid-year.

Second, I was faced with giving up those activities that do “light me up.” I love to write and create, yet do not have the capacity to promote my line of mindful children’s books or my themed, soft squeezable Zendoway cubes with motivational prompts on each side.

I handed over the social media platforms that support my books and cubes to two interns, one leading the way as this is her second year working with me. At first, I “helped” them by giving them ideas and guidance, but I soon saw that I was just getting in the way. Steve Jobs once said, “The greatest people are self-managing. Once they know what to do they’ll go figure out how to do it. What they need is a common vision.”

I took this to heart; sharing my vision, I let them go and watched my interns create from their authentic selves as they successfully transformed the “Zendoway” social media sites.

The result of delegating and letting go of the details are increased sales, leads, and a fun and unique social media presence.

Watch the video that Maddie, my second-year intern, created: ​

Each time I see a new post, I smile. I am proud of letting go of a couple of my babies. I am proud of the accountability Maddie has exhibited in her role. And what an experience to start her career! I love that I am providing a meaningful internship, giving her the opportunity to shine, manage the other intern, and build her resume with something tangible she will always remember. The other good news is that Maddie has told me of the positive impact my work is having on her life, helping her be more mindful and less stressed.


How can you get started with delegating?

• Look at all your responsibilities.
• In the next month, try to delegate or get rid of 3 tasks.

When my coaches requested the above, I laughed. Yet, now it is a focus and I am continually asking myself, "Do I need to do this task, or would it be better served by another member of my team? Is this task even necessary?"
The result? I feel lighter and free to focus on my passion of helping others. My team and interns are rising to the challenge wholeheartedly and feeling more empowered to lead. And this approach shows an example of me being an intentional leader which is the first principle in my book Culture Infusion.
​
Ask me how I can help your organization to Make a Great Day and help your teams delegate more.

​Recently I shared about how to allow your teams to totally unplug. Watch my video on my vacation confession of how I was not following my own advice nor was I sharing it with the entire team.

Now others are giving themselves the gift of a clean inbox upon return from vacation.