Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Goals I'm Raising A CEO Who Can't Find His Shoes Sometimes our family dinners turn into life coaching sessions. The other night, I asked Izak what he wants to achieve, improve, or change this summer. He didn't hesitate. "I want to get better at basketball and work on my business." I asked him, "What's ONE thing you could do, stop, or tweak that would make everything else easier?" What's the first domino? The one that, when tipped over, sets others in...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Life What's Left When Everything Else Falls Away Not sure if you noticed, but I didn't send out my email last weekend. I've been late before, but before this one, I had sent 109 in a row. This was the first I'd missed all together. I have a good excuse. My husband's mom was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago. The doctors gave her about three years. But Mary fought hard. Again and again she rallied in ways no one expected, so somewhere along...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Acceptance Hello Anger I just finished Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach... for the second time. If you've been around here for a while, you know I talk about acceptance often. Not because I've mastered it mind you. It's one of the things I struggle with most. It came up again in my recent conversation with friend, fellow mom, and therapist, Theresa Grzebinski, so I pulled the book out again. It is SO GOOD. I know your "Books To Read" list is already...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Nutrition Protein is good. Fiber is transformational. If there were a supplement that improved digestion, balanced blood sugar, supported hormones, strengthened immunity, and reduced long-term disease risk… we’d all be taking it. But here’s the kicker: it’s not a supplement. It’s fiber. And most women and children aren’t even coming close to getting enough. The average adult woman should aim for ~25 grams/day. Most children need their age + 5–10...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Parenting Your Kid Isn't The Problem Last week's newsletter clearly struck a chord, so we're staying one more week with parenting struggles. Nineteen years ago, in a therapy session, I shared a story about bossing my husband around. I think I was silencing him in front of others or something. My therapist calmly asked, "Why do you feel you need to do that?" "Because he's such a good guy - I want people to like him!" She paused, then asked, "Why? What...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Parenting The Hardest Leadership Role I've Ever Had Forgive me if I've shared this story before but it perfectly describes the difference in my kids. One night when they were maybe three and seven, I was in Nadia's room putting her to bed. Nose to nose in the dark, I asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Without hesitation (and with a little devilish grin) she said, "A bee so I can STING people!" Part of me was impressed with the...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Vibrant Health Your Game Plan For A Less Miserable Spring Years ago, when I quit my management role at DU (on March 1), I spent the following month or more exhausted. Something wasn't right. I should have been bouncing off the walls with energy as I had a lot to be excited about. It was MY decision to quit! I was looking forward to just focusing on building my nutritional supplement and personal training businesses, I was recently engaged to Ali, and...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Perception Proof Is Everywhere (If You're Looking For It) I can barely get Nadia to watch the videos I take of her. If she gets any time on instagram she'd rather watch funny animal videos than herself. I love this about her. But on our way to Parkour the other day, she stumbled upon my Nadia highlights. A collection of little moments I've saved over the years - things she said, outfits she proudly wore (she had QUITE her own style), funny quirks,...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Savoring Before It's Over We've (barely) survived the flu season here at the Barghelame house. Nadia was on the cusp of pneumonia, bringing her school absence total to 16 for the year, and Izak still doesn't have his voice back... but we survived. We were popping zinc, vitamin C, elderberry, and Quercitin like candy and finally set up a humidifier in Izak's room. Of course if we'd just been better about all that BEFORE the flu hit, we probably would...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Arete Warriors - spirit, mind, body strong Nutrition The Real Answer Is Hiding In Plain Sight. My hope in these newsletters is to help you find the little tweaks that can make the most positive difference for you. Nutrition is one of the MOST IMPORTANT areas of opportunity because what you put IN effects everything your body does (metabolism, thinking, energy, mood, vibrance, immunity, poop...😁) Everything! Did you know selenium, zinc and iodine support healthy thyroid function? Most of us...
4 months ago • 3 min read