By Marilyn Thompson of BeautyInDC.com

Q. Sandra what led you to become an author, speaker and coach?

A:  Perhaps that career path was paved by my early fascination with butterflies. As a kid, I spent summers chasing after them; the ultimate symbol of transformation. Life is all about movement, sometimes desired and other times dealing with the forces of change and that takes tools to manage all our dreams, desires and detours. Helping people take charge of their destinies and creating life in tune with their desires has been a lifelong pursuit—witnessing transformations by clarifying goals, getting out of comfort zones, overcoming obstacles, and building and sustaining nourishing relationships, and the thrill of achieving what some might consider impossible.

Writing, speaking and coaching are all connected—inspiring movement toward what is desired, and heeding those inner rumblings and awakenings to move in the direction of those desires. We often know, even if deep down and unspoken, what we need or want to do, but it may take reading something that resonates right down to your bones, or perhaps a story of a courageous soul who made choices to act that’s the starting point for change to happen. The speaking, writing and coaching are all tools for assisting those seeking greater well-being, in harmony with their inner vision. I think of them as needed power tools for shaping our destinies.

Q:  You speak about facing life’s challenges with resilience and courage. Would you share your journey?

A:  We all face life-changing times in our lives which will tap our inner resources, and we must hunker down and hang on through both planned as well as uninvited twists, turns and detours. Even as much as I had written and presented programs about the fragility of life, I was lulled by the illusion that life would simply carry me into my carefully crafted future. I embraced that life doesn’t always go according to our plans, but with my “take charge” philosophy never considered that mine wouldn’t go as I had envisioned. Then, bam! My plan, with all its expectations, exploded when my husband who was never sick in the nearly 30 years of knowing him, became acutely and mysteriously ill in 2004. He was stricken with so many symptoms that defied diagnosis, affecting both his body and brain. It was a terrifying journey into the unknown, suspended for an unbearable time without any answers. Ultimately the degenerative condition was linked to multiple and chronic exposure to environmental toxins and that has further fueled my passion to be of service supporting wellness and well-being. Read the rest of this entry »

There are more than 80,000 chemicals in use in North America. Only a fraction have ever been tested individually for their impact upon humans. Pretty scary. That’s of great concern to many today who have awakened to the realities of 21st century.   I’m among them and wondering right now about the impact from the noxious  fumes being emitted from my brand new keyboard. The plethora of plastics is just one of the multiple sources of toxic exposure today.

Indeed, we’re living in a toxic stew and it’s brewing up plenty of health concerns. Presidential cancer advisers serving on the President’s Cancer Panel commented in their letter to President Obama, “The American people–even before they are born–are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures”  Among their many recommendations, increase, broaden and improve research regarding environmental contaminants and human health.

A recent Toxic America CNN special report highlighted growing daily exposure  from our lifestyle largely dependent upon chemicals:  storage containers, food wrap, cookware, carpets, shower curtains, clothes, personal care products, electronics, bedding . . .”In short, every room in almost every house in the United States is likely to contain at least one of these chemicals, many of which did not exist a century ago.”

Paula-Baillie-Hamilton, MD, PhD, author of Toxic Overload has long tracked the impact of this toxic trail.  “Our bodies were never designed to protect against this chemical onslaught. As a result, our systems usually fail to process and remove most of the chemicals once they have entered our bodies, so their levels start building up in us. Consequently, every single human on the face of the earth is now permanently contaminated with these modern synthetic chemicals.” Read the rest of this entry »

On this Independence Day are you celebrating your freedom to design your life the way you want and fortunate to be living it; or are you feeling perhaps a bit, or maybe even very stuck, trapped in situations you’d like an immediate escape route?

The energy of freedom creates a mindset of unlimited options–the world is your oyster and the pearls are countless possibilities. Contrast that to feeling trapped–like the oyster shell itself, it’s confining in living within restrictions,  few choices except the attitudes you choose to hold. Feeling stuck is energy-draining, emotionally taxing, and keeps you bound in limitation. It might make you scream, “Get me outta here!  How long will this go on?!! Venting is good. Even a cathartic scream helps for a time.

Today I’ve received several calls and emails from friends who are stuck right now in circumstances beyond their control–aging parents requiring constant care, responsibilities that cannot be delegated,  jobs not yet materialized, relationships that no longer work with complex legal entanglements to free them.  Each offers a unique opportunity to develop greater patience, which is a true test when thrust into circumstances you cannot change for an unbearable endurance run.  What can you do to sustain your spirits when feeling stuck? Read the rest of this entry »