My beloved dog Chowder died unexpectedly. We rescued him from the animal shelter years ago, and he has repaid us with unwavering, unconditional love every single day.
I was his person. He loved me. He followed me everywhere, was my shadow, and not in a needy way, just in a “You are my person, and I shall forever devote my life to adoring you” sort of way.
Friday morning, I found him dead and cold, stretched out by the wood stove in front of the door, an image which has given me intense PTSD. I don’t wish this horror on anyone.
It has been two weeks since that morning, and time hasn’t relieved my grief at all. Maybe it has even gotten worse.
I had to teach and host a retreat at our homestead the day after Chowder died. I almost cancelled it, but eight people had signed up, some of them already on their way travelling up here from California. A rational part of me knew that pulling off this two-day retreat would help me get my mind off my grief, and it did. The participants were sweet, supportive, and let me cry whenever I needed to.
And then they left, and the sorrow really hit.
I could have powered through my days, keeping the coaching appointments already scheduled on my calendar, as many as four a day. The workaholic German in me, the one that even shows up to coaching appointments with a stomach flu, the one that is so proud of all her integrity and loyalty, she wanted to push through and show up for her clients.
But then there was the part of me that crumpled and had nothing left to give, and she won.
She was the one going into nature to cry by the creek, she was the one hiking up mountains to soothe her soul, she was the one reaching out to a select few people who she knew could be in her grief with her.
I’ve experienced grief before, oh yes, I have. And I know that time does heal, that time makes the feelings less intense and raw. I also know that grief can hit you years later, triggered by a memory, a place, a smell, a touch.
And yet, the force of my grief surprises me every time. How it knocks me down, how it makes me want to hide and isolate.
One of the second arrows of my grief is how I compare myself to others, how I fear their judgement. For example, although my kids cried that first morning when Chowder died, they seemed fine and normal, even able to laugh the same day. I found myself judging them, resenting them, even being angry at them for their reactions. Or I judged myself for the intensity of my feelings, wondering if this was normal, especially since other people can move on faster.
Another fear creeping in was that others judged me for the depth of my despair, that my feelings weren’t appropriate or acceptable. This has happened before, where I expressed my strong emotions and then people I trusted suggested I go on medication.
trusted suggested I go on medication.
Here is what I say to that: Fuck that!
If you are anything like me, if you are an empath who feels things DEEPLY, and if you wonder if you are too much, if your emotions are too much, let me tell you:
Your feelings matter. Your feelings are telling you something. Don’t let anyone EVER tell you how you should feel, or how deeply your feelings are deemed appropriate. We are all different, we feel things differently, and most importantly, we grieve differently.
The day of the retreat I sent out a message on Facebook, asking people for support in sending me prayers, love, light, or whatever energy they could spare so I could pull off this retreat. I received an incredible outpouring of love from my community. Many people shared about the depths of their grief when they lost a furry friend. This is real.
I was guided to a litter of Shih Tzu puppies, and a couple of days ago we drove all the way to Wenatchee to meet them and see if I could connect with one.
I did. She is the red one, a little sweetie, and she kept licking me. It looks like we’ll take her home in three weeks when she’s old enough. I will forever miss my Chowder, and I know that this little red puppy will steal my heart as well.
And I will allow this love in and not hold back, even though I know it will break my heart later on, unless I die first.
So dear one? Feel your grief. Express it. Let yourself be supported by people who get it. Take as long as it takes.
I’m popping in here to encourage you to book a free session with me if you have ever been called to get coaching from me.
Believe me, I know how hard is to make the choice to invest in yourself. I used to believe that it was selfish, that I was not worthy, and that I didn’t have the money to spend on my own improvement and self-actualization, but once I did begin with my own Feminine Power work, my life dramatically changed.
Ten years ago, I did exactly what I guide my own clients through – identifying the most painful pattern in your life, setting an intention, and learning specific, powerful tools and practices how to relate to yourself, others and the greater field of life/God/Universe/Sprit in ways that allows you to thrive in ways that you can’t even imagine now.
My life is now unrecognizable from a decade ago, so much better, happier and richer, both personally and professionally, and it’s because I engaged in this work myself.
As part of my journey, I have become a Feminine Power ambassador and Senior coach in our coaching organization, which has changed thousands of women’s lives. It’s so incredibly rewarding!
Since I’m very busy, and since I’m one of the most experienced coaches in the organization, it’s time for me to raise my prices to reflect my huge success with my clients.
And I want to give you the change to get in at my cheaper rates before I do that. I will raise my prices in four days – at the end of Friday, June 14. If you schedule your free discovery session before then (even if the session is scheduled for after Friday), and if you decide to step into a coaching relationship with me, I will honor the old, cheaper price for you.
You can sign up for the free session on my website (either on the top right, or scroll all the way down) by clicking HERE <—
And if you need an extra nudge, read my TESTIMONIALS page, where you can read how women’s lives transformed for the better because they did coaching with me.
I hope you will make the leap, or at least schedule a free session. You will know if it’s right. Don’t delay any longer, because you deserve support, thriving and happiness!
With so much love,
Corina
Certified Feminine Power Coach and Global Ambassador
The other day found me on the sofa, sobbing, yet again. This happens every month: a migraine, or whatever it is, that leaves me nauseated, utterly exhausted, sensitive to light, feeling sick like with a flu, and I can’t form a coherent thought. It’s debilitating. And since I’m usually so vibrant and healthy, this once-a-month ocurence really, really scares me.
Dear sister, dear friend, dear woman…. If you are anything like me and many of the women I know, you want to be healthy and vibrant… but you are suffering with PMS, menopausal symptoms, weird gut issues, maybe even IBS. You are so friggin’ ready for things to be better. I know I am.
At the tail end of this month’s sickness episode, I talked with Dr. Deborah Epstein, an experienced naturopath in my area. Talking with her gave me so much hope for healing this once and for all. She explained things to me in such an easily understandable way that I asked her to do a video call with me and record it, and invite you, if you want to come and ask her questions.
So we scheduled a video zoom call for June 29, noon Pacific Time, and we’d love for you to be there to ask questions!
If you want to attend the call, please sign up to be on the call, or to get sent the replay, click on the button below:
Just to give you an idea about the kind of things Dr. Deborah can help with, read on:
When your period comes do you find yourself:
Parked on the couch with a heating pad on your belly?
Curled up in a ball, trying not to move?
Snapping at your spouse and kids, because it’s hard to be yourself when you’re in pain?
Just plain “out of commission” for those special days every month?
Worried about money and your job, because you’re missing yet another day at work?
Popping pills that you’d really rather not take (because you know they’re a band-aid that just makes you more toxic), just to get through the day?
Terrified that the rest of your life is going to be this way?
Imagine…
Planning everyday events or vacations, without fear of last-minute cancellations
Participating fully in your kids’ activities
Not risking your income or job performance from taking too many sick days at work (or being crabby at your boss)
Focusing on living your life fully, instead of just getting by
Achieving this freedom without the use of pain-killers or birth-control pills!
Or here’s the other thing if you are dealing with gut problems:
Ever feel paralyzed by indecision about what to eat because you don’t know what will trigger your IBS? (And wish you could just eat without fear or anxiety?)
Decide you just won’t eat before important exams or meetings, because you can’t risk the monster belly noises or embarrassing smells? (And wish you could just live your life without planning absolutely everything around your traitorous gut?)
Feel better when you have a map in your head of all the known toilets on your route? (And wish you had the freedom to leave the house like a normal person, or even travel like you’ve been dying to?)
Have to wake up 2 hours earlier than you really need, praying you can poop before you leave the house? (And wish you could just live your right life, rather than organizing it all around pooping or not?)
Avoid invitations because every dinner out is a night on the toilet just waiting to happen? (And wish you could just have a normal social life?)
Know food causes symptoms, but stay in your rut, because you don’t believe it can ever be different? (It can.)
Know food causes symptoms, but resist change because deep down you’re afraid to give up foods you love? (You can love food AND achieve freedom from food triggers.)
My hormones have been shifting a lot, and I’ve been hammered with weird symptoms. I’ve been trying to see a naturopath about them, even did an Ayurvedic cleanse, but nothing has helped.
I started corresponding with her, and she invited me for a free talk over the phone to learn more about what I need.
I’m super excited about her online program, which starts June 6th, so I can discover my unique inflammatory trigger foods, understand my food sensitivities and finally heal my health issues.
Do you want to join me? This will NEVER be that inexpensive again!
It’s a whole-foods-based Cleanse/Detox program in your own home.
take herbs and supplements that support your body’s natural detoxification processes, and begin to balance your hormones, tojumpstart true health.
plan meals, prepare nourishing whole foods, and be supported through healthy lifestyle change;
receive lots of recipes and meal-plan support, so you’ll enjoy eating healthfully;
“attend” weekly conference calls, and participate in a private Facebook group online, in which you will get to ask questions, as well as give and receive help, feedback and support;
learn about the underlying reasons for cramps, and how you can access “the healer within” and build your own health;
be safely and expertly guided by a licensed naturopathic physician and get two 30 minute calls with her
I would love for you to jump in and do this together!!!
When you click on it, you will read more about IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), but rest assured that this program also deals with the hormonal stuff I talked about!
If you are scared to do this, here are some FAQ’s in Deborah’s words:
I have a terrible sugar addiction. I’m scared I can’t do it.
You’re not alone; everybody goes in with this fear. I have tried and true techniques that solve this problem. While your first few days will require some willpower, you’ll learn how we use your physiology in your favor, so that you don’t have to rely on willpower as soon as the sugar shift kicks in. I also promise you’ll feel better as a result.
I’m a vegetarian. Will the program still work?
Yes. There will be plenty of food to eat, even for vegetarians. I’ll advise you on special preparation methods if necessary, to make it work best.
I’m traveling within the dates of the program. Can I still join?
It depends on the dates and how long you’ll be gone. Missing one of the Zoom sessions won’t be an issue, since you can watch the recording. But traveling can make the nutritional change tough. Let’s go ahead and schedule a conversation and talk about it. Include the dates of travel in the scheduling form.
I have a very physical job and can’t cut calories. Will I have enough to eat?
Yes! You won’t be hungry. In fact, hunger is an anti-goal of this course, and it is most definitely not a sneak calorie-cutting weight-loss program. The planning and prep portions of the course are designed to make sure you have plenty of the right food available, at the right times.
For the first and last time, this 6-week, highly interactive course (including 2 private sessions with Deborah) will be offered for only $497.
As a pilot program, it will intentionally remain small. She is capping enrollment at 12 students.
Over half (7) of those seats are already filled.
If you want one of the few remaining spots, let’s get on the phone and get all your questions answered, or figure out if it’s not for you.
Deborah is a doctor, not a salesperson. If you have questions, and it turns out the program isn’t right for you, she has exactly no interest in enrolling you.
You don’t have to go it alone. And you absolutely don’t have to collapse on your kitchen floor, crying and confused.
There’s nothing to lose. But you may regain your life.
My teaching partner Lindsay Huettman and I scheduled this year’s women’s retreat for September 21 and 22! Lindsay also happens to be my best friend, and she’s a wonderful psychotherapist/grief counselor.
Together, we created a two-day retreat at my beautiful homestead that focuses on nourishment and rejuvenation of your body, soul and spirit.
We will support a small group of women (hopefully you’ll be one of them) to transform old, painful patterns that have been showing up in your life over and over again. These old patterns have created havoc in your life – maybe low-grade depression, unhappiness, burn-out, shame and guilt, isolation…
Together with Lindsay and my guidance and a very safe container of support with other women, we will bring these old patterns and unconscious beliefs to the surface. We will teach you powerful tools and practices to let go of them, and we’ll start cultivating new ways of relating to yourself, others, and the Greater Field of Life.
This is life-changing work, facilitated with incredible love and nourishment.
Do you want to transform your life in California? I’m co-leading a weekend women’s retreat in Huntington Beach, CA, from May 4 to 5! Please come join me!
Are you sick and tired of repeating the same painful patterns over and over again?
Are you feeling confused about the direction of your life?
Do you feel unsupported and alone?
Do you want to discover a proven method for life transformation?
If you are a woman who has been feeling the impulse to evolve beyond your current life situation (career, health, relationships, money, etc.), want to break through your old self-sabotaging behavior patterns, and move into a deeper relationship with yourself, others and life…
THEN YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE!
Join us for a powerful weekend of transformation as we take an inward journey into our inner landscapes.
In this two-day retreat you will:
– Identify and break through painful self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviour patterns
– Get clear on what is in the way of living your desired life
– Learn tools and practices to break through and transform the patterns from the past that are keeping you from being your True and Higher self
– Connect with your deepest desires, discover with what is possible for your life and follow through with the first steps to bring forth your vision
– Receive support to navigate the process of transformation
