Author / Christy

I’m a passionate alchemist devoted to rekindling your life force for more energy, beauty and magic everyday.
Alchemy for Moms Parenting The Alchemist's Heart

Are You a Work From Home Parent? Here’s How to Develop a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Are You a Work From Home Parent? Here’s How to Develop a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Maybe, like me, you are a parent who does much of your work from home. If so, you are intimately familiar with the difficulties of managing a family and a career in the same location. The Pew Research Center states that up to 52% of parents having kids younger than 12 years report difficulties in striking a balance between work and childcare duties.  Fortunately, guest author Jason Kenner reached out to share helpful strategies to support you in achieving the elusive work-life balance.

 

1. Plan Each Day in Advance

Instead of waking up and facing whatever comes next, take the initiative to get organized the night before. Here’s a list of things I try to complete before going to bed each night:

Keep Meals Ready: This involves meal prepping in advance and portioning food in microwave-friendly boxes, making them ready to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Schedule Emails for Early Morning: Whether there’s a plan to be submitted or received, I schedule emails to the respective stakeholders the night before. This reduces the need to spend an hour sending emails first thing in the morning. The time saved can be used towards breakfast, getting kids ready for school, exercising, and other healthy activities.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on pexels

Create a To-do List: With a list in hand, I’m ready to attack the day from the get-go rather than having to chase deadlines.

Maintain a Routine: While it took some time to form good habits, once I did, it made everything easier. Completing the same task at the same time each day provides me with some much-needed predictability and control over actions and expectations.

 

2. Hire Professional Help

One thing my experience working from home has taught me is that working long hours and managing childcare together is not sustainable. Most of the time, I ended up giving each of these things less attention than they deserved, as there were simply too many things to do at once.

Photo by jamie he on pexels

The best way to get things off my plate was to hire professional help. With a babysitter, things become much easier to handle. Whether it be picking up kids for school or ensuring they each are on time, I do not need to worry about any of these tasks. As a result, I was able to focus solely on my work leading to an increase in productivity and stress reduction.

 

Finding a good babysitter can be a long process. But, the go-to place to start was my network of family and friends. Once I received references, I set up interviews, requested trials with those I felt were the right fit, and then went with the option I thought was the best for my family.

 

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on pexels

3. Keep Distractions to a Minimum

Being disciplined is key to developing a healthy work-life balance. However, even during my busiest days, I noticed that I wasted precious time on unproductive activities such as scrolling for hours on social media, watching YouTube videos, texting friends in between work, and more. Cumulatively these activities significantly delayed my work activities resulting in me working late on a daily basis.

Here’s how I was able to cut down on distractions:

Investing in a separate phone for work. Keeping my personal phone in a drawer away from my workstation notably reduced my time scrolling social media during work hours. The result? Faster completion of work and more time to spend with the kids.

Photo by Sarah Chai on pexels

Minimizing electronic use an hour before bed helped me to sleep on time and wake up early. As reported by Sleep Foundation, the blue light emitted from electronic screens such as mobile phones, laptops, etc., signals the brain to stay awake, making it difficult to fall asleep. But, getting an early start to the day helped me avoid immediately rushing into work and spending more time with family.

Rather than trying to put one responsibility over the other, I assign ample time to each activity to avoid being overwhelmed. During work hours, I try to isolate myself from distractions. Post-work, my goal is to disconnect from work-related activities by spending time with kids, enjoying a hobby, and getting some much-deserved rest.

 

Guest Author Jason Kenner is a dad who loves sports, adores his kids, and strives to be a good parent.  As he began researching the challenges he faced with his own children, he realized there are a lot of similarities between sports and parenting.  At On-Par Parent, he shares his best advice about both but doesn’t pretend to be a pro in either….and he promises to go easy on the sports puns!  

Health and Wellness Parenting The Alchemist's Heart

World’s Gone Crazy? Here’s the Solution You Need!

Hello Darling,

May these words breathe nourishment into your life even though (or maybe especially because) the world looks a bit crazy right now.

On a recent day with “all the things” piling on with no sign of stopping, I came upstairs trembling during a short work break. Shaking, really. My insides couldn’t seem to settle on imploding or exploding.

My next client was scheduled to arrive in twelve minutes.

Did I eat? Hydrate? Help my youngest daughter with the holy hell that seems to be her online school? Melt into a puddle? Reach out to a friend for support? Don winter gear and yak tracks so I could walk outside on the ice for maybe 6 minutes?

I forgot all about the oxygen mask principle and opted to try to help my daughter. Yes, she probably needed it, but I suspect my real motivation was to distract myself from my feelings.

Alarmingly, when I tried to speak, words didn’t actually emerge.

Turns out you have to be able to BREATHE in order to speak, and I wasn’t doing either very well….which is when I realized I was having an anxiety attack – something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Not a shining moment.

Except that something magical happened…and it quickly became one.

My diminutive but mighty daughter looked at me with concern. Mind you, this girl kind of hates talking about her feelings and never wants to see a counselor no matter what’s going on. Which can be consternating because I AM a counselor who LOVES talking about feelings.

Turns out she knew EXACTLY what to do.

She got up and wrapped her arms around me from behind while saying:

photo of girl hugging her mom

This is how we breathe.”

And then she breathed me deeply and steadily…belly pushed into my low back, returning to the space I carried her in my womb, reminding me of the most important things – the breath of life, literal inspiration, delivered with love.

Inside of 3 minutes, EVERYTHING felt better.

My nervous system settled, I began thinking more clearly and elusive creative problem-solving came back online.

So Dearheart, if this is a day when YOU need to be breathed (and who amongst us doesn’t!), I’m sending you a GIANT warm embrace.

Please allow your sacred imagination to guide you….to a safe space…. with a safe person…holding you from behind….while taking slow, deep, steady breaths….to remind you that you are loved, you are supported, and you can breathe.

You are worth it!

With Love and Alchemy,

Christy

P.S. Want more? Here are 10 easy ways to nourish your spirits right now.

Book Reviews Favorite Books The Alchemist's Heart

Expand your Enjoyment in Life with Everyday Mindfulness

Giveaway Alert! Ready for something special? I’ve discovered a gem of book for YOU!

No matter HOW smart, capable, brilliant, or gorgeous you are (and you ARE more than you can possibly know!), it’s challenging in the BEST of times to incorporate the mindfulness skills we KNOW can improve the quality of our lives. And let’s face it, nothing in the past year has felt like the best of times..

There’s just so DARN many things we “should” do to take care of ourselves (and I DON’T advocate “shoulding” on yourself) that get lost in the flurry of the “must do’s” for everyone else.

You know exactly what I’m talking about, right? Because sometimes it feels like the whole world might collapse if we stop for a moment of peace.

This is where the genius of Melissa Steginus can help transform EVERYTHING with Everyday Mindfulness: 108 simple practices to empower yourself and transform your life. The lovely people at TCK Publishing sent me free copies of her book, and one of them may be for YOU!

Everyday Mindfulness guides you through powerful mindfulness practices that help you rewire your habits and rewrite your life. With step-by-step instruction and evidence-based exercises designed to integrate into a busy schedule, Steginus makes it simple to integrate the changes you dream of. Your time and energy are your most precious resources; how you spend these shapes your entire life. Everyday Mindfulness can ensure you spend them on what matters!

You’ll enjoy the “slow and steady” approach which makes it easy to explore simple practices in small doses while finding your favorites. Everyday Mindfulness is designed to use day by day over 108 days, but I also like to flip to a page – any page – for guidance that feels just right for that day. I discovered beautiful reminders about nourishing my soul (day 67), engaging in play (day 31), and sharing in wonder (day 106). Everyday Mindfulness reminds me of a lifetime favorite – The Joy Diet – with its simplicity and potency.

Now YOU can be entered into a drawing from my magic bowl to win a FREE copy. Just send a quick note saying YES by Saturday, February 27th to christy (at) thealchemistsheart.com and I’ll let you know if you’re the lucky winner!

With Love and Alchemy,

Christy

The Alchemist's Heart

Blessing your Heart during Difficult Times

Gently blessing you

Dearheart,

May you know you are are part of the solution every time you open your heart to blessed connection with another soul.

Even during quarantine, we embody the power to touch each other’s spirits…to remind each other that we are never alone…and to re-member (literally to put back together) hope and wholeness for our world.

May you allow space for ALL the feelings to move through your mind and body…without judgment or condemnation…granting yourself the same level of compassion you wish to bestow on others.

May you be kissed softly by the love I send in this message…knowing you are beautiful, worthy and resilient. No matter what.

With Love and Alchemy,

Christy

The Alchemist's Heart

How to tell if a relationship is worth your life energy

A powerful question to ask

Want to know if a relationship is worth the energy you’re investing in it?

Ask this one question:

Do they consistently honor the light in your eyes and the passion in your soul?

Because YOU ARE WORTH HONORING, and anyone who doesn’t support that which lights you up from the inside doesn’t deserve much real estate in your life.


They don’t need to love the same things…they don’t even need to understand what sparks your soulfire…but they DO need to be able to notice and appreciate the life-giving alchemy of expanding with authenticity into our world.

Be brave.

Choose wisely.

I’m here to help.

With Love & Alchemy,
Christy❤

The Alchemist's Heart

Are you answering your Soulfire’s call?

Answer the call of your Soulfire

Do you remember being LIT UP from the inside out?

I see you in my mind’s eye – shining with the sacred flame burning within.

I marvel at the ways you keep showing up to tend your people and projects with heart and soulfulness.

Yet I know sometimes it feels like TOO DAMN MUCH.

Maybe, as a gifted client revealed a few days ago, you have a fantasy of hitting the open road and not coming back – maybe ever – certainly not ’til you’re good and ready. Despite the love you hold for your home, family, and colleagues.

Do you know why?

Because your Soulfire is craving nourishment so you can keep showing up in the amazing ways you do…while living in alignment with your essential self.

So if you’re exhausted from taking care of everyone else, this is your invitation to discover a better way to live.

It’s time to feel held and supported in the sacred journey of YOUR life!

Health and Wellness The Alchemist's Heart

Alchemy LIVE

Pulled in too many directions and feeling soul-tired because of it?

Do you feel like you’re losing your spark?

Are you scared that no matter how hard you work, it will never be enough?

Worried about becoming a dried-up shell of your former self?

Feel “too sensitive” and wonder why you can’t be happy with the life other people settle for?

Are you called to more but wonder how you’ll ever be able to expand in meaningful ways?

Do you wish someone would show up and take care of you for once?

I see you, Dearheart.

You’re soulful, creative and empathic.

You feel more than most.

People trust you to show up and bring your best – over and over and over again.

You are, by all appearances, successful.

But you feel like you’re losing your spark.

You’re a little afraid that all the things you’re here to do might not happen…that the busy-ness of life is dampening the ONE THING that makes everything possible.

The flame that burns within your heart – your soulfire – is calling you.

It needs tender care, so you can keep showing up in the amazing ways you do…making an even bigger difference in this world…while living in alignment with your essential self.

  • What if you could take care of your loved ones without feeling drained to empty?
  • What if you had way more energy for your day to day life?
  • What if you didn’t feel like you were working so damn hard every day – and you actually felt regular moments of fun, joy, and greater ease?
  • What if you could kiss fear, doubt and confusion goodbye while moving into clarity, confidence, and strength

It’s time to feel alive again so you can connect with the joy, creativity, and giftedness that is your birthright. 

It’s time to feel held and supported in the sacred journey of YOUR life.

Dearheart, it’s time for you to come to Alchemy LIVE.

You hold within you the power to transform your experience of the adventures of daily life while creating positive real-world change.

JOIN ME at the historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, WA on Saturday, September 21st for a day of spaciousness and soul nourishment so you can connect with what matters most.

  • Experience the power and beauty of your inner alchemist
  • Discover how to create sacred space in any situation
  • Transform your communication through the power of deep listening
  • Grow stronger with truth-telling
  • Experience hearty benefits from the Stillness Solution
  • Open your spirit to transformation with the twin gatekeepers of courage and respect
  • Harness the alchemy of appreciation
  • Develop a consistent routine of self-care that helps you feel nourished and alive

Click here for the beautiful details and simple registration!

The Alchemist's Heart

Embracing the YOU that cannot be contained

Unadulterated photo – complete with rogue curl
Dearheart,

I’m reaching out to kiss the part of you that cannot be contained.

I happen to know that, like me, you have some version of my crazy little curl. 

One you try to cover up, tuck in, or shove into some socially acceptable space. Except that it will never, EVER, stay in place for long. I tucked this curl back into position tens of thousands of times before realizing it has been communicating something important. At which point, I took this photo BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO EMBRACE YOUR “CURL.”

You have alchemy inside your soul. 

And as you’ve noticed, alchemy doesn’t conform to much of anything we were taught growing up. 

THIS is what I love most about you – the magical element of your being that insists on growing in its own perfect way. 

So, darling, what is YOUR “curl?” What part of you doesn’t fit in? 
Where can you use support witnessing your own unique beauty? 
Comment below to share what you can embrace rather than push away. 

Because the more genuine compassion you offer your WHOLE self, the more life energy will be available for creating magic in your life! 

May you be blessed in all ways.

Thank you for including me in your journey. 

With Love and Alchemy, 
Christy❤

Alchemy for Adventurers The Alchemist's Heart

Alchemy LIVE – Channel the Power of Your Inner Alchemist

Coming Soon! Join me for a very special experience at the historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, WA on September 21st, 2019.

Alchemy LIVE will provide the precise tools you need to connect with your inner alchemist and kiss fear, doubt and confusion goodbye while moving into clarity, confidence and strength no matter what adventures arise in your sacred journey of life.

You will discover how to recognize the gold within, embrace life as an adventure, create sacred space and partner with the benevolent forces of the Universe. You will also transform your communication through the power of deep listening, grow stronger with truth-telling, reap hearty benefits from the Stillness Solution, open your spirit to initiation with the twin gatekeepers of courage and respect, and harness the alchemy of appreciation.

Every time I’ve emerged from intensely soul-testing experiences, I’ve done so with fierce determination to distill the alchemy that provided safe passage, and offer it with open hands to ease the paths of the next travelers. Now I have the incredible honor of being able to help you reawaken into a life of greater freedom, aliveness, and possibility!

Interested? Email me today at christy @ thealchemistsheart.com with YES in the subject line. I’ll send you more information once the beautiful details are ready!

How does Christy hide her wings? I’m convinced that she’s part angel, part mystical fairy—both of which combine to make her a gifted healer. 

She can instantly transform any space, virtual or in-person, into a safe and sacred space where those struggling can be welcomed, guided, and transformed through her alchemy. I don’t know how she does it, I’m just so grateful she does.

Amy Jones

“Dear Christy, you are a godsend, an angel.  You appeared to me right when I needed you and I am beyond grateful for the time you took to help me and the love you poured into it.  You helped me get clear on many things which led me into the healing process.  I was really in a depression when you came into my life and the transition that took place through your alchemy work was miraculous to say the least.  Your guidance and wisdom opened my eyes to see even more of my path.  I am now pushing forward on that path.  I have taken your advice and couldn’t be more happy.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Tamar Gröll
Owner / www.tamargail.com

“I think of Christy as an amazing balance between a power force and a highly enlightened light worker.
She combines a deep understanding of the spiritual and emotional issues in your life with a talent for giving you tangible, practical, easily do-able solutions that you can use to make things better right away.
Christy definitely hears what you’re saying and really gets what you’re going through.
But, then she makes a point of saying “Okay, this is exactly what you can do to make your life easier.
Go out and try these one or two things and report back.” And I really like that Christy’s style is never rigid.
She’s not invested in her own particular system or structure. Instead, she says “Here’s what I know works.
Make this your own, come back and tell me how it went, and we’ll make adjustments and tweaks so it’s perfect for you.
” I would definitely recommend Christy’s services to anyone who wants to create space in their own life and reconnect to what matters.
She gives you the tools you need to create something that is amazing. At the end of the day, she helps you transform, you just have to go out do it!”

Maya Gaddie
Owner / www.mayagaddie.com