Category Archives: FEELING GREAT – physically and emotionally

Pregnancy, Mindfulness and What We Really Feel

Our mindset is extremely influential. It creates our filter on the world, impacts how we interpret the results we get, and even shifts the results that we do get. I was mindful of my mindset before and during my pregnancies, because, quite frankly, I knew at times that I didn’t have the most empowering mindsets….

Prenatal Yoga at Radiant Heart… Nichole creates the BEST environment!

I’ve gotten to know Nichole Churchill at Radiant Heart Yoga (RHY) well as we’ve worked together on Advocate Sherman Hospital’s Empowered Pregnancy Program. (Nichole and I kick off the program with an evening of centering physically and mentally – tuning into your body and into your top values/priorities as a parent.) And, I’ve learned that…

Someone’s expecting? Congratulations are in order! … Aren’t they?

We often make assumptions! It can be easy to assume that if someone is married and over the age of 22 that it’s good news when they tell us they’re pregnant. Congratulations are in order!! (Aren’t they?) It can also be easy to assume that if someone is unmarried, a teenager, or just lost their…

Stop comparing yourself to other moms!

Stop comparing! It’s nasty business. It’s too easy to see another mom excelling in an aspect of parenting and then start to get anxious that we’re not doing it right or well enough. We notice and get concerned about this perceived “gap” and totally forget about our accomplishments. We think about the lady who seems so…

Your changing body for all to see

During pregnancy, your boobs, belly, and other areas are getting bigger. Your changing body is there for all to see. I’ve heard people talking about how so-and-sos hips widened. Yes, it’s true her hips were widening, and there’s nothing wrong with widening hips. It’s an occurrence most pregnant women experience. Yet, there are people talking about her hips!…

Feeling overwhelmed? 3 steps to shift from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered

Feeling overwhelmed? Sometimes we feel like there’s perpetual overwhelm, sometimes we know a specific event will send us into overwhelm, and sometimes it just sneaks up on us. It’s OK to feel overwhelmed. Let me start there. It’s easy to think that you’re not succeeding or you’re not effective if you’re feeling like it’s too much….

Remember you’ve never done this before

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1 step forward and 3 steps back? Trust yourself.

Set backs happen. Sometimes they happen when we feel the least equipped to handle them. Often in the leadership training that I facilitate (along with being a Pregnancy Coach, I’m also a Training and Development Consulting and Business Coach), I share about the learning curve. Ah, the learning curve! I seem to more easily remember the…

Can you go straight to “giddy”? Or is there always a detour?

I’ve spoken and worked with women who created their ideal birth experience, because they first had a delivery process that didn’t work for them in some ways. Maybe they agreed to an episiotomy (or other intervention) that in hindsight they wish they hadn’t authorized. Maybe they felt they invited too many people to be part of…

An Interview: The Importance of Nourishment

Nichi Hirsh Kuechle of My Healthy Beginning interviews me (Amy Riley of Loving the Pregnant You) about the importance of nourishing yourself during pregnancy. The video is under 9 minutes and you’ll hear why you want to nourish yourself; ideas about how to best care for yourself; and the tangible, observable benefits of creating good nourishing…