Circle of Life Holistic Care

04/17/2022

Spring is in full bloom and it’s time for new things to bloom in the office too.

After a LONG time coming, if you are a current client and have a Simple Practice platform, you can now book appointments through your Simple Practice portal! Available bookings begin in May. If you’re looking for an appt in April, you’ll still need to reach out to me via email or text.

When you go to book your appointments, you’ll notice some changes to my schedule. I’m having to do some walking of my talking and am changing my schedule in order to take a little better care of myself. This looks like less appointments in a day but an extra day of the week available. There is no difference in the overall amount of appointment times. They’re just spread out a little differently.

AND the nervous system reset room is fully up and running! You can book your session in the NSR room through Simple Practice as well.

My website has been updated to reflect information about the NSR room in case you’re wanting to look into it further. Link is in my bio.

Of course you’re always welcome to reach out to me directly as well. 😊

Here’s to Spring and new beginnings! 🌼

08/11/2021

Happy Wednesday!

Today is my last day in the office until August 23rd.

I’m walking through my own life transition of taking my son to college. 😳

A friend said to me this morning, “Kelli, if there’s anything you do well, it’s grieve.”

She’s right. 💜

For whatever reason, my life has included a lot of grief. It’s simply part of my story. And it’s made me who I am.

I can be good at it and still not enjoy it.

But I’m walking my talk the next 11 days and I’m spending time with my son. I’m feeling all the feelings. I’m holding space for his feelings. I’m holding him deeply in my heart, while also letting him go to spread his wings.

Bittersweet. That word has never resonated more in all my life.

So, all that to say….I’m going to be focusing on myself and my family for the next 11 days.

Additionally, over those 11 days, I’m going to be monitoring the Delta variant and whatever mandates come down. Things may change in the office. So keep an eye out for any notifications on that. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to keep coming in to the office, but I also feel strongly that I have a responsibility to all of my clients, as well as my family, and I take that responsibility seriously.

The only constant in life is change and so we just keep rolling with the changes.

And breathing deeply.

And feeling the feelings as they come. 💜

04/30/2021

Thanks for my 2nd year of birthday yoga. 🎉💜😊

04/30/2021

Another weird birthday in the middle of a pandemic. But the tiara must be worn. 👸🏼

I will always own my age. I will never hide it. I own these 52 years. Every last second of them.

I’m not going to tell you that I like every ounce of me or that I’m super comfortable in my 52 year old body every single day. That would be blowing smoke up your ass.

If anything, 52 years have taught me to be real. To own my truth. Good, bad, or otherwise.

Bottom line is that I own every wrinkle, every creak of my bones, each time I need my glasses, every curve of my body, every choice I have made. It’s all part of who I am today.

When I look in the mirror, I sometimes judge myself like most of us, but I am also proud of who I am. I proud of my accomplishments, and proud of the things that maybe didn’t go the way I’d planned or hoped. Each experience has been a teacher. Each turn in the road has had a part in making me who I am today.

I don’t know what 52 holds. What I am certain of is that there will be ups and there will be downs. And there will be tears. So many tears. Because they’re my superpower. 💪🏼 And are what help me get through all those ups and down. It might not always be pretty, but I’ll get through whatever life throws my way. 😊

So here’s to another year round the sun. 🌞

And on that note, if you’ve known me a while, you’ll know that my birthday also means that I’m on vacation from the office for a bit. It’s time to be inward a little. I’ll be back on Tuesday, May 11th. Until then, I’m going to try to be away from my phone and just BE for a bit. 😊

Gotta walk my talk and take some time for me. No better time than around my birthday. 🎉

04/19/2021

Well hello there beautiful Old City Hall. 😍

Look who’s in her office on a Monday morning for the first time since August. 👋🏼👀

Still seeing clients virtually, for now, but I’m getting in some practice runs for returning to the office full-time (likely in June). 😊

It feels SO good to be here. 😁

03/19/2021

Oh.My.Gosh, I cannot even explain my feelings today.

I’m running a virtual Childbirth Educator workshop from my office!! I came in yesterday and opened everything up for the first time in 7 months.

Joy met me with open arms. 😁

And I might have cried a little. 💜

I’ve been sitting in the corner of my bedroom on one little chair for months. I am SO ready to be back in this office, even if I’m still working virtually for the time being.

I’ve changed my season pillow to Spring just a couple of days early because...well...it’s just time for Spring and flowers blooming and new beginnings. 🌼

I simply can’t explain how good it feels to be here.

And just an early note to say to watch this space over the coming weeks... an announcement is coming about the office opening to clients. I’ll be starting slowly but it feels good to be opening up instead of shutting down this Spring. And I’m so looking forward to slowly having people back in this space. 😊

Until then, sitting in my warm, cozy, office and seeing people through a screen is still a step in the right direction. 😊

01/02/2021

Had some time to kill today on this side of the bridge so I’m hanging out in my favorite place, working on observing a childbirth class series for an ICEA candidate for certification (she’s great, btw!) 😁

I love watching people teach childbirth classes. I learn some new technique every time! And I’m so impressed how well people have pivoted to virtual classes and how well it’s working. 😊

I just completed my 5th Childbirth Educator recertification. This year holds my 20th anniversary of teaching childbirth ed! So thankful for having had the opportunity to do this super fun work for the past 2 decades. 😁

And I’m so happy to be spending some time here today. Just me and my air purifier. 😉

12/31/2020

Here we are, on the eve of a new year.

The last day of an historical year.

A year like no other I’ve ever seen.

As I look back, 2020 has felt like an awakening.

The starting of an evolution.

When I can look at it from this last day of the year, I can see the bigger picture.

But let’s face it, it was hard.

And it is in the hardest, darkest times that we learn the most.

This idea comes up a lot in my office.

This year, it was universally hard.

So much pain. So much isolation. So much struggle. Lives lost. Businesses lost. So much changed.

And yet, as humans, we also adapted. We evolved. We rose up. We pivoted. We demanded more. Truths came to light. We learned to do things differently. We learned we had to open our eyes and see more clearly.

Evolution is hard. And painful. And change is scary. Humans acted out of fear this year in so many different ways. We hurt one another. We turned on our fellow humans.

We go into 2021 far from a united species.

And still, I believe in us.

I believe in each of you reading this today.

I’m sure your life has been hard in many ways this year.

And I hope that it’s also held joy in places as well.

Many of you joined me in learning how to do the work we used to do in the office through a virtual platform. Counseling, workshops, support groups. We’ve done it all without being in the same room together.

And it has worked.

Much better than I anticipated.

But not for everyone. Some of you have taken a break until we can meet again in person.

Which I hope will happen by mid-2021.

I can’t wait to be back.

I can’t wait to have people in my office again.

Until then, I’m just going to be hanging out in the corner of my bedroom. Seeing clients, running workshops and support groups.

I’m going to mostly remove social media from my life again. It’s not a healthy place for me. And I find myself much calmer and happier without it. I’ll check in daily but am returning to my “no scrolling” rule.

I continue my daily yoga practice (today is day 354!) to keep me connected to my body.

I’m returning to more mindful eating after about six weeks of allowing myself to enjoy ALL the eggnog. 😁

And I’m trying to pick up a new hobby of slowly remodeling my house. This will be a forever new hobby but I’m changing my self talk and believing that I can still learn new things, and that my brain CAN be crafty.

I wish for you to find the things that YOU need to help you connect with your body and spirit in the new year.

At the end of every year, I take part in a goddess reading. My 2021 Goddess is Cybele. She brings to me a message that says, “This is a year of catharsis, and Cybele is here to guide you through to release.” I feel incredibly ready for that release. 💜

None of us know what 2021 holds. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we have no control. We can lay the best plans, but the universe has its own that we must follow, regardless if it derails all our own plans. I LOVE a good plan. I LOVE the idea of believing I can plan my life. And I also know it’s not reality. So, instead I’ll take each day as it comes, but you better believe I’ll be looking for that catharsis along the way.

Please know that I’m still out here if you need support through your own 2021 journey. I’ll be hanging out in the corner of my bedroom with my laptop. At least for part of this year and then hopefully will be back in the office again.

My schedule is very busy but I’m trying to get people in as fast as I can.

Having said that, I AM taking a week off in a week. I’ll be “out of the office” (which means, just keeping my laptop closed 😉) from Friday, January 8th through Sunday January 17th. I’ll open that laptop up for work again on Monday the 18th.

My “baby” turns 19 the week I’m off. I have honored the fact that 2020 gave me more time with him. As he prepares to head to finish off his last two years of college away from home this fall, I will hold on to the extra time I got to have with him in 2020. For that I am incredibly grateful. This time last year I was planning for his big 18th birthday party. He told me it was “the best birthday ever”. I look back on that party a lot and am so grateful we had that day in 2020. His 19th will be much different but we do birthdays big in this house and we’ve done them pretty well throughout the year, in spite of not being able to go anywhere or do anything, so we’ll still do this birthday well. 😊

I hope you can reflect upon your own 2020 and find some pieces of gratefulness in the midst of an incredibly difficult year.

I wish each of you a peaceful transition into the New Year. May you hold 2021 gently and not expect too much of it this year. Ideally it will bring some healing, and some return to a life we once knew. But we’ll never be the same. We wouldn’t want to be. Let 2021 bring you it’s lessons. Know you’re continuing to evolve and grow. And that you can do hard things.

From my heart to yours, I wish you a blessed New Year. 💜

12/15/2020

Here we are, coming up to the end of an incredibly challenging year.

I’ve had moments of sadness and despair. And moments of joy and growth. You don’t come out of a year like this without being changed in some way.

December is typically the busiest month of the year for me in the office. 2020 is no different. In fact, if anything, it’s busier.

I’m not complaining about a busy job, especially in a year when so many are out of work.

Nonetheless, as much as I love what I do, it can be an emotionally taxing job. I have been doing this for quite a while now and I know how to take care of myself. I don’t take my job home anymore (even though it’s actually AT home now). But I do work very long days. I currently stare into a computer screen from sun up to well beyond sun down. I hold a whole lot of space each and every day.

People are struggling. I hear it loud and clear. It’s hard right now. And yet, so many people are utilizing great self care and taking care of their heads, hearts and souls. And every single day, I’m honored to be a part of those journeys.

And because I preach about self-care, I also know that I must exercise it myself. And one of the ways I do that is by taking time off a few times a year. One of those weeks is coming up in January.

I considered not taking it this year. I mean, it’s a pandemic. It’s not like I’m going to be doing anything. But that’s sort of the thing. I need to not be doing anything for a while to fill back up my cup. I’m no good to anyone when I try to give from an empty cup. No one is.

So, I’m telling you this now because I counted today, and I have 11 more spots open between now and the end of the year. 😳. And then there is just the first week of January before I’m off for 10 days. And that week is filling up quickly.

Sooo... if you want a spot before I go fill my own cup, please reach out soon. 😊

I’ll be back to work on the 18th. Inauguration Day will be that week. And there’s a childbirth educator workshop that week too! 😊

So, here’s to the end of a challenging year and to the beginning of a new year, and all the ups and downs that it will hold.

11/24/2020

We’re nearing the end of 2020. And I’m sure we’re all pretty excited about that. 😁

Here’s your chance to end your year on a high note by completing your childbirth educator workshop and beginning 2021 with a new career, or a midwifery prerequisite, or some continuing education, under your belt!

My last Childbirth Educator workshop of the year is being held next Friday and Saturday, December 4th and 5th.

Here’s another chance to get your workshop completed from the comfort of your own home. Come to class in your pajamas with a nice warm cup of coffee or tea and settle in to learn and laugh.

I’d love to have you join us! 😊

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ICEA has authorized their trainers to provide workshops through an online format through March of 2021. This is a unique opportunity to get your workshop in from the comfort of your own home. The upcoming December, January & March workshops all run in the stan

10/13/2020

My mom died eleven years ago today.

At this point I know that each year is different.

I don’t grieve the way I did years ago, but I will always grieve. I will always feel this day in my bones.

I struggled sleeping last night. It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning.

I am grateful to my mom for my life. I am grateful for the work I have done since her death. Her death transformed me. And transformation is often painful, but also so, so beautiful.

I will cry today. I will also laugh. 11 years ago, I didn’t know how I’d ever laugh again.

Healing takes time. Grieving is forever. It still changes me. It forces me to pay attention. I’m no longer afraid of it. I honor it. And when grief appears, I stop and welcome it as it washes over my body, reminding me of love, of loss, of joy, and of pain. All those things are worth remembering.

I am certainly whole again. But no where near the same woman I was 11 years ago. And that’s a good thing. I like the woman I see in the mirror today. 💜

I will always feel grief over the death of my mother, but it has evolved and I’m sure it will continue to do so, day after day, year after year.

So today I take a moment to stop and honor the life of the woman who gave me mine, and honor her death which helped me find myself.

The griever in me honors the griever in all of you who are walking their own grief path. Each of those paths are different, and yet exactly as they are meant to be. 💜