Even if you’re not from the Midwest, you may be familiar with the term “Minnesota nice.” It’s a phrase that implies polite friendliness and an aversion to open confrontation. To be nice is about people pleasing in service of being liked. So, what’s the difference between being nice and being kind? Being kind is behavior that’s thoughtful, caring, and considerate, but also strong, confident, and self-caring,” says Dr. Marcia Sirota, a psychiatrist and author of “Be Kind, Not N

Self-care is often sold to us as something external: a bubble bath, a massage, or perhaps a pedicure. While these indulgences can bring temporary relief, true self-care digs much deeper than the surface. It’s about caring for yourself from the inside out, addressing your thoughts, boundaries, and overall well-being. At ithrive31, we believe in the power of intentional self-care based on our three Core principles: Principle #1: Be Intentional with Your Thoughts Your mindse

Recently, I found myself at a crossroads while attending a conference. Hurricane Helena was hitting the U.S., and travel disruptions were inevitable. I faced a tough choice: Should I stay for Day 2 and risk getting stranded at the airport, or forfeit my airline ticket and catch a ride home with a friend, Ann Wright, who was leaving early to avoid the storm? The decision wasn’t easy. I wanted to stay, and I didn’t want to lose the value of my airline ticket, but the thought of

Hi all, Coach Lauren here! We’re just a few weeks away from November, and November and Thanksgiving bring some well-deserved attention to gratitude practices and today I wanted to share one of mine: thank you letters. I’m fortunate to have had great parents who taught me the value of writing thank you letters. After every birthday I had less than a week to get all my thank you’s written and mailed. Admittedly as a kid this felt like a chore, but in adulthood I can definitely

Hello friends, We are doing our Wednesday Coaching Tips a bit different today. We asked three of our Coaches to answer this question: “What are 10 Ideas to bring energy into your life?” Read the 30 ideas they list below then add your favorite to make it a magical 31! Use these ideas to make it a great start to your 4th Quarter of 2024! From Coach Dorene Listen to an uplifting podcast. My favorites: Mindset Mentor- when I need a mental boost, Mel Robbins – when I need ideas, a

Do you find yourself trying to do more with less? Is it challenging to find a healthy work/life balance? Can you manage to do all the things while also carving time out for self-care? And is it really possible to juggle it all? And, even if we could, should we? A lot of us try to be hyper-productive and we work harder and faster than ever before. We rely on our “surge-capacity” to sustain us for the long-haul. Many of us also subscribe to the idea that staying busy means we’r

As a professional coach, I often help people through the personal challenges of their work situations. These challenges can be emotionally charged, which is natural when something important to us isn’t going well. One client shared that she drove home from work crying daily and would get physically ill on Sunday evenings, knowing she had to face work on Monday. Her anxiety was significant. It quickly became clear that her job was taking an emotional, mental, and physical toll

Storytime: the idea of “self-care” used to stress me out. I already had a massive to-do list, and now people were telling me I need to add tasks such as “do a face mask”, “take a bath”, etc. on top of everything else, otherwise I’m not apparently not taking care of myself or making myself a priority. The whole thing felt extremely counter-productive, and in my mind, “self-care” was this big production of an event. You want me to take care of myself by adding more to my plate?

I have learned through the years that I do a much better job of completing tasks when I have set up some external accountability. I want to say that I can do it independently, but sadly, that is not the case. That’s okay. I know I am not alone. In fact, I have discovered groups of people that work together on Zoom without actually working together. Let me explain. We set up a Zoom meeting in someone’s personal room and log in at an agreed-upon time. Each person declares what