A great, relatable question came in over email recently and I thought you might like to hear the response! Dear Emily, I recently received professional photos from a happy family event that took place a few weeks ago. The photos are beautiful but I have to admit that I was very unhappy with my own appearance in the photos. I am trying not to be that person who 'hates all photos of themselves' and I'm also trying not to be that person who says to any photographer 'you've got p

There's a weird self improvement philosophy that takes positive thinking to the extreme by suggesting that we only experience negative feelings because our mindset is messed up. The idea is that if you can just look at the world through a positive lens, you can be done with negative feelings and transform your life for the better! That simplicity sounds tempting, right? Unfortunately, the positivity-or-bust approach can start to look less like stepping into a transformed li

I've been trying to write this for days. Although I want to write about why it's ok to risk imperfection in our actions against injustice rather than doing nothing, in all honesty I've been scrutinizing every single word to the point I've considered just sending you a list of links. I've softened the language. I've made it more direct. I've scrapped everything and started from scratch, then edited again. Bear with me as I now try to walk my talk. I may still put my foot in my

A lot of my coaching clients come to our first session with a long list of abandoned self care goals and an inner critic who is pretty revved up about it. Many of these strong, wise, highly-motivated people used a popular strategy for changing habits: setting highly specific, measurable goals. Super detailed goals can be helpful for some behaviors for some people. Many times, though, rigid goals set us up to fail. In the real world, people have a hard time meeting

Every day, the news is full of yet another layer of heartbreak. So many kind, loving hearts are grieving around the world. Because of this, I’ve been second-guessing whether to write what I’d planned. I worried it might be petty to talk about making peace with our bodies at a time when violence seems to be everywhere we turn, and our action feels urgent. Then I attended a webinar led by the powerful Sonya Renee Taylor, the founder of The Body Is Not An Apology, and I was

The first time I watched a video of myself teaching yoga, I had to take a time out. Even though I knew the lighting wasn’t quite right and I was wearing a boxy shirt that didn’t move properly and had sweat marks from the humidity and sunshine, the way I saw my body shook me. I’d taught yoga hundreds of times in this body, but I hardly recognized it on screen. After uttering a loong “oooooooof,” I excused myself from the video my friend and I were reviewing together, and sa

I love watching improv and have always wanted to try it. So, in an effort to expand my creative life and take on new adventures, I recently signed up for a beginners’ improv class. My first class was not a huge success. A few minutes in, my face started twitching from nervousness, and I stumbled over my words. Everytime it was my turn to speak, my mind, which can get jumpy in large groups of strangers and likes having plenty of time to process thoughts before words can

Here’s the thing about 2015. Despite appearances, there’s still time to bring a little of this year’s bucket list to life! OK, so maybe there isn’t time to hang glide over Switzerland, holding hands with Beyonce, before the clock strikes midnight. But if that’s your kind of daydream, you’ve still got a chance to get at the core of that feeling you’re chasing. So, what is it? Are you looking for adventure? Purpose? Gratitude? Excitement? You can absolutely grab a litt

For many of my friends, photos are how they capture memories. I, on the other hand, rarely take photos. I’ve always preferred to capture life’s texture in my journal. Writing has been my favorite way to process life and my emotions since I was little. My journal was always a trusted friend who could help me understand why I was feeling what I was feeling, and often helped me uncover what I needed to know or do to be ok. I addressed many of the entries in my old journals to my

It took me years of pondering to sign up for a yoga teacher training. I'd loved informally teaching friends and kids at camp, and yet every time I started to think seriously about making it official, my inner critic would jump up and start hurling insults! "You can't stand on your head, and if you can't do the impressive arm balances, you have no business being a yoga teacher!" "There are too many yoga teachers in this area already. What you offer isn't needed." "You don't lo