Tammra Broughton - Registered Holistic Practitioner

05/28/2026

Love this!

Flavonoids from passionflower plants may one day give chewing gums the ability to take the edge off frazzled nerves or anxiety, report two Regeneron ISEF finalists.

05/25/2026

[Full article on Substack]

Many years ago, after advanced training in Humanistic NLP, I stopped using the word busy. I fully innerstand that most of us, including myself, are indeed busy. And yet, I feel there are better ways to communicate life’s fullness.

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. The techniques I studied are modelled after behavioural psychology and the work of Virginia Satir, Fritz and Laura Perls, Milton Erickson, and other humanistic thought leaders. I don’t always remember every tool, especially when things get hectic, but I do try to choose my words and the energy behind them, consciously.

Saying “I’m busy” can sound like I’m at the mercy of circumstances, rather than consciously choosing how to spend my time. Of course, I know not everyone has the privilege of time or choice, and that reality matters. Still, from an NLP perspective, “busy” externalizes control.

When someone tells me they’re busy, it often closes the door to deeper dialogue. It can land as, “I don’t have time for you.” I don’t assume that, but I do wonder if they’re overextending themselves, something I’ve done plenty of times. When I notice myself in that state, I come back to center through grounding practices like gardening, gentle stretching, or breathwork.

Repeating “busy” reinforces hurry, stress, or scarcity, even when we’re engaged in things we love. It doesn’t describe how we feel when we’re immersed, committed, or flowing.

Alternatives to “busy” (Humanistic NLP-inspired):

Engaged → “I’m engaged with a big project right now...”

In flow → “I’m in a flow with my work...”

Committed → “I’m committed to several things this week...”

Small shifts in language open possibilities, reclaim choice, and remind us we can hold fullness without reducing it to “busy.”

Want more examples? Some handy phrases to communicate your time commitments to others without using the word "busy"? Visit my Substack.

05/19/2026

Believe it or not, you already have what you need to get through almost any situation. The qualities and resources that create real, lasting change aren't something you find outside yourself, they're "all-ready" in you. Sometimes you just require the right questions to access them...

Here are 3 questions to help you find your inner re-sources:

"Think of a time you handled something hard better than you expected. What were you drawing on?"

"If you were to know, what would the most resourceful version of you be? What does this version of yourself remind you that you're capable of?"

"Where in your body do you feel most like yourself, and what does that part of you already know about you?"

If you would like to share any of your answers, I'd love to hear it / them!

05/18/2026

Are you a flasher?

Hey, it’s your wall and you can put whatever you want in it.

I love psychology and I’ve been studying it since college.

I’m curious what motivates people.

What motivates people to post to their social media?

We’re all here for different reasons and some of us are here for many.

Some folks are just scrollers and that’s ok. Sometimes I find it weird that people I meet out in the world seem to know every post I put up yet I never hear from them online. I try not to think that’s weird but if they choose not to engage, that’s their choice. I show up without attachment best I can.

So, back to flashing. Many may not know what this is if they haven’t studied marketing or social media.

Let me share what that is. This theory was also validated by Kelly Diels who coined the FLEB (female lifestyle empowerment brand) which sounds nice, buts it’s not really.

It’s programming, which just happens to be my specialty.

If all you ever post are pictures of your expensive lifestyle and nothing else, that’s called flashing.

Even if you post a photo making soup but you make sure your $700 blender is in there or you’ve made sure your very fancy stove and name brand kitchen utensils are in the photo, it can come across as flashing.

If you only post about your amazing lifestyle where it appears you have no struggle or work a demanding job… flashing.

Again, your wall, your choice.

When I was going through severe depression and I went on Facebook and I saw families on expensive vacation trips, or I saw people only posting about how great their life is it made me feel like a failure. That’s on me. There was so much shame, and that only added a more depression. Again, on me.

When I saw people sharing their struggles and their stories, and then share their tools and resources that help them get through their struggles, that gave me hope. Before I was so ill I used to believe that the word hope was a bunch of balogne but when it feels like there’s nothing else, sometimes hope is all there is left.

If you want to make a difference in this world and you want to inspire and empower people, then take a beat and really think about what you’re posting to your wall. Your post could be the first thing someone sees when they open their Facebook or Instagram, and that person might be going a through a really hard time.

People might suggest that those people should not go on social media, but I can speak from personal experience that when I was feeling very alone sometimes social media was all I had to connect me to the outside world. 

I do think we should celebrate our big wins our lives that we have worked hard to have and maintain! 100%. However, if that is the only way you show up here, well, you do you.

If you’re here to raise up the collective either by asking big questions about the status quo or share opportunities to build community or you are lending a hand to help lift people up then do your research…

What could be a more effective way to show up online?

More people are watching than you think.

Constantly bragging about what you have and what you’re doing may not be the best strategy. People might give you a like, comment on your post and some people genuinely are happy for you and that’s great.

Working with people and their health both physically and mentally as well as emotionally for nearly 30 years now, I can tell you honestly, that most people will show you a smile but deep down are really struggling.

All I’m asking today is to put a little more thought into what you’re amplifying right now. Is it helpful? Is it true? Are you offering a solution? Can you provide resources?

Also, are you supporting others by liking commenting, sharing, and being genuinely supportive for their wins? If you consider yourself a community peep or leader than this should be a given.

What more as possible?

Ps. If you have time to come on social media to create a post you have 5 more minutes to show love to others!