Raw Chocolate Workshop

Hands up those who don’t like chocolate? Hmmm, thought so. Narey a hand raised.

And kids seem to love it just as much as we do. I slip a couple of dessertspoons of cacao powder into our green-smoothie mix once a fortnight or so, just to shake things up a little, and we might have the occasional chocolate fruit-and-nut treat, but it really is something that we only rarely consume. I’m sure my girls would eat it every day, given the chance!

I’m very much in favor of raising our vibrations by really enjoying life, including all that we eat and drink – so, for me, chocolate is definitely OK as an occasional treat. But it has to be good-quality chocolate, without all those dairy and other additives.

Last weekend, I decided to give myself a wee treat and head off to a raw chocolate workshop that had been organized through our Melbourne raw-food meet-up group. I already knew a lot about chocolate from having edited a book a few years ago called Spoil Yourself: A Chocoholic Guide to Melbourne (dream gig, huh?!), but  I wanted to know more about this “raw” version of chocolate, and how it was produced. Oh, and I wanted a few samples…

Boy, oh boy, was it fantastic! I dashed in to the chocolate factory, cheeks tingling from the brisk Melbourne weather, and was greeted by a smiling, happy young man called Christian, who ladled warm “hot” chocolate into a cup for me. Bliss. We sat sipping our hot chocolates, with a hushed air of expectancy. (Christian’s special recipe was given to us – and it includes cardamom and cinnamon – mmm…)

Rugged up to the nines in the chilly factory, we sat listening intently to Scott, the owner of “Loving Earth”, passionately explain the different varieties of beans, the production process, and how Loving Earth works directly with communities in Mexico and Peru to ensure the best quality ingredients (this trade helps those communities enormously). Scott regularly visits the farmers and production facilities – it’s so great to see a company that cares about the source of their ingredients, and about the effects on those source communities, and the environment.

Christian also gave us the low-down on the amazing nutritional benefits of cacao (the theobromine, magnesium, iron, and antioxidant qualities), but tempered this (chocolate insider’s joke – get it?) by saying that cacao is potent and should be used with care. I absolutely agree with this, and deliberately avoid giving myself or my girls too much cacao – I think the caffeine content alone is something that makes it an occasional treat, despite its superfood characteristics.

At the Loving Earth factory in Melbourne, they use organic Criollo (the highest quality cacao) powder and butter, and combine it with agave nectar, Himalayan crystal salt and vanilla bean to create the base of all their chocolate bars. The cacao provides the bitterness, with the agave being the sweetener. They then add flavorings such as lucuma (which helps “lighten it up” a little), mesquite, purple corn, camu camu, maca, goji berries, and nuts, to create gorgeous chocolate bars. Is your mouth watering yet?

We all had the chance to whisk together a base chocolate mix, with Scott encouraging us to “stir in the love”. Nothing is heated above 113ºF (45ºC), so the chocolate really is raw (no roasting of beans) – this is definitely not the case with traditional chocolate production, where the mix is often heated over 176ºF (80ºC).

We then gathered in groups and added sprinkles of this and that to the mix, in little tin pots (see pic of my partners-in-crime Donna and Jess, about to launch into choc production). We then added larger, chunky pieces (berries, nuts etc) to the molds, poured in the choc (see pic with my almond additions) and put them in a fridge, to set.

We then tipped out the bars and wrapped them ourselves. Upon taking mine home, my husband Darren had a nibble of a bar, and declared it “not too bad at all!” (this, from a non-raw-foodie!). I personally prefer the bars that have had a little lucuma added – I’m not entirely a dark-choc aficionado, but I’m learning to appreciate it.

But it’s not just the chocolate bars that are sublime – I also adore the Loving Earth coconut-chocolate butter, which I occasionally spread into pitted Medjool date halves and give to my girls as part of their after-school snack. Honestly, I could eat that stuff by the spoonful!

If you’d like to learn more about raw chocolate, see Loving Earth’s website. They also run chocolate parties at homes (if you live in Melbourne or Sydney). They’re a hoot!

Till next week, with cacao kisses,

Jo

PS Have you signed up for the free Raw Mom Summit yet? Huge, chocolately hugs to Shannon and Tera for putting this together – I’m loving these calls! I’m making my way through them by downloading calls to my MP3 player and taking them in on my walks (you can only download the calls on the upgrade version – if that type of multi-tasking appeals to you, make sure you upgrade!)

Something Special is Coming to Divaland: Cozy Coaching Calls!

Oooooh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

I’m soooo excited about what’s coming. I mean, there are a LOT of things coming, but one in particular feels awfully important and special because it’s connected to a group of gals that have become like sisters to me over the last 7 months or so.

Last December we started a “Cozy Coaching” group and every week committed to connecting on Sundays for a support call. It’s been quite a journey and we’ve watched each other transform so much in that time. We had agreed to stick together for 6 months, then after that, we would decide what to do from there.

Well, 6 months came and it was “pow wow” time. The gals and I thought that it would be pretty neat to offer other people the chance to join in on these calls, too. Having listened to my incessant rambling for 6 months, they know the ropes around here as well as anyone, and are perfect candidates for supporting YOU in your process around here.

We have A LOT going on. Detoxes, cleanses and clutter busting. We have recipes, challenges and summits, too. It’s a veritable festival of love and good vibrations, but sometimes we all need a personal push in the right direction in order to be able to participate fully and enjoy some of these events and things.

I know that in spite of all my efforts to bring people out of their shells, there are always a few teary-eyed troopers sitting on the side lines shoulding all over themselves. And soooo, dear Diva, we have decided to open up our Sunday coaching calls and invite YOU, as a member of this community and a participant of our programs, to join us and get your questions answered.

I receive a lot of questions during the week and also feel like having a call like this would be the perfect opportunity to answer these questions personally and provide more one on one support for newcomers. Sooo… our “Cozy Coaching” group has become the team of Cozy Coaches and they’re going to guide and support you (along with myself, of course) through your adventures in Divaland.

The first one will be happening THIS SUNDAY!! Here’s how you access the call! You don’t have to sign up for anything, you don’t have to give us your email address, or anything. At least not for now. We may eventually limit this to paid participants of our programs ONLY, but for now, it’s an open invitation to Divas EVERYWHERE!

Since we’re not taking email addresses,  we can’t remind you about the call, though! So… mark it in your calendar. Print out the page and remember to come back on Sunday night, or whenever you can, to listen to the call. If you’re not going to be able to come, you can send in your questions ahead of time by entering them on the teleseminar page.

As for other news around here, I’m still CRAZY busy with the Raw Mom Summit and thrilled with the impact its having. I’m also getting ready to roll out another issue of Health in High Heels. Oh yes, dear sistars, I’m gonna do it.

But first, a run that will make me sweat up a storm, release my toxins, circulate endorphins and get me feeling AMAZING! School’s out, summer is here and it’s time to soak up sun and make Vitamin D while we can.

Love you like glue, SnickerDoodle.

Let me know what you think of these weekly support calls, ok!

Huuuuge hugs,

Tera

Feedback on the Raw Mom Summit

I couldn’t resist taking this opportunity to share some of the feedback on the Raw Mom Summit. It’s always somewhat of a risk when we create a program like this. We believe in it, hope it will have a positive impact on the world and work our little buns off making it all happen.

We watch the signups with anticipation, we cross our fingers hoping for a few sales, but the real payment comes when we get emails like this:

“LOVING the Raw Mom Summit. Excellent work. Thank you for putting this together.”
“I just finished listening to tonight’s recordings and was blown away! I signed up for your affiliate program and am telling everybody I know about this…you did an AWESOME job and are a true inspiration. Congratulations!!

——-

Hi Raw Mommas!

Just dropping you a note sending sooooooo much LOVE to everyone that has put this together. The information is so valuable and accessible to anyone. My age is 18 years old and am far from being a momma ; ) am just sooooo inspired and overcome with gratitude for the downloads coming thru this event ; ) Great stuff for the further unifying and awakening of our planet.

Bless!
Melina


You guys are rocking my universe!
Insane. Love it, love you…

Michelle S

——
“So inspired by today’s speakers;  particularly Walter Shantree Kascera.  My husband and I are new to this scene and learned much from the wisdom of this man.  We don’t have small children so some of the talks didn’t quite suit the life we live but we still found them interesting.  This symposium is a great accomplishment.”

——-

“Just a quick note to tell you that I am really feeling some kind of collective blessing after listening to these (just finished Gina Laverde, she’s amazing!)  – and it’s totally a feeling of empowerment, which is FUN because I consider myself already quite empowered, so I am loving this unexpected feeling of an even MORE deepened being.  Wow!  So so so happy you all decided to make this happen.  MUCH love to you and all who participated.

Junglegirl“

——-

From one of our VIP participants who ordered the upgraded version:

“I couldn’t help myself. I jumped ahead and listened to David Wolfe’s interview. WOW. Shannon did such a beautiful job. He seems to get a lot of negative hype from certain individuals, but that interview gave me 100% complete respect for him. Thank you for these life changing calls.

Kimberly C.”

——-

“I’ve just listened to the first interviews from the raw mom summit. I’ve been in tears almost the whole time – every conversation you had touched my heart in such a sacred way. Such beautiful interactions.”

Thank you. I appreciate the gift.

I don’t have any money (its ok, I don’t have any children yet either) so it is such a blessing to receive this gift freely.

I’ve been moved by all of the interviews  – Victoria’s clarity, Andrea’s honesty, the ‘teaser call’ with Tera and Steve…

…but the flame of one of my true passions is flamed by the call with Shantree. This is the information that I have been wanting for quite some time. I knew there must be examples somewhere in Canada of the way of living with the land that I feel in the core of my being to be so right. You have brought that information to me.

I’ve felt isolated in rural Manitoba – seeing the forests bulldozed and buried or slashed & burned clearcut to make way for manufactured seed crops. I suffer physically and weep with emotion when the land is sprayed with herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. The corporate machine of farming without integrity will not last – I know that my 6 acres of permaculture is a small start. This is where I want to birth and raise my children. This is where I want to guide others to live in harmony with the blessings of the natural world.

Looking forward to more and more opening of my heart and magical discovery as the summit progresses. I love you, Shannon.

——-

Since I’m responsible for the marketing and sales around here, you can imagine how this one touched my heart. We take a risk putting passion before profit, but the emotional relationships we develop with other members of this community, the testimonials and lives we touch and the satisfaction of doing something that makes the world a better place is our greatest reward.

I looooove, love, loooove this feedback! It inspires and empowers me more than ever!

Dear Friends,

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I have to purchase this series.  It is so content rich

For instance, I am thrilled: no time pressure to buy this right away. No hype in the presentation (I do not like the word sales letter.)

Common sense statements and not trying to get us all in an emotional frenzy to buy this series.

Not playing on fear of sickness to attract people.

I have heard the current internet marketing teachings and I see that you are breaking new ground, and I applaud that.  I think that is the direction that things are going, as we create the world we really want.

I love it that these calls are not thinly disguised infomercials.  Which makes me  MORE interested in what else the speakers have to offer us.

It is a breath of fresh air.

I am treated as though I possess a working brain and common sense.  I am treated with respect.

I  notice and appreciate that.

That is what I would expect from raw people.  We bring lucidity and a gut level experience of abundance and balance to all we do.  We are not perfect, but we sense this underlying order of the universe and align with itas best we can.

This is wonderful.

I would really like to promote this series to my list, and on my soon-to-be website or blog.  Do you have a way that people can be affiliates with you and promote your series?   I hope so.  I would be honored and proud to do so, and feel like I was helping our planet to evolve.

Best wishes to you for all success.

Happiness, Peace, Health and Abundance for All!

——–

What a boost! What a marvelous way to start my day! I thought I’d share these with you. If you have comments, thoughts, feedback, please let us know! If you’re not yet registered, sign up, Sunshine!

My Pickled Personality and a Sneak Peek at Raw Mom, Cooked Dad

I described myself that way to a dear friend today and I dare say, it fits.

My “pickled personality”.

Hmmm…

I love salt.

I love dill.

I love YOU, you crazy, courageous DIVA! I didn’t forget you, you know. You and your 21-day mission possible!  I admit that I have needed a few days to get my bearings and get on this blog to tell you what’s going on in my little world. It’s better for me to write from this bliss bubble within, than to put less than inspiring mumbo-jumbo out there. I know this wasn’t a high support challenge, but we threw it out there and  did our best and that counts for something.

As each of us on our own brought the 21-day challenge to a conclusion, Mika celebrated her 9th birthday. We went swimming and had a great time together. She invited a couple friends and was so grateful that they came to celebrate her special day.

The next day was Father’s Day, and given that I come from a divorced family and have become a divorced family myself, special occasions like these keep me busy. I would have liked to celebrate the Day of Dads in a more official way here, in Divaland, but it didn’t happen. So to all the Dads and Divos out there, we loooooove you and Happy Father’s Day!

The Raw Mom Summit has been taking up a lot of my attention and in only a few hours we’ll be making its release OFFICIAL! One reeeeally exciting thing that happened this weekend was that on the morning of the 21st, Matt Monarch called me up on his wedding day (!!!) for an exclusive interview on Love and Marriage, as part of the Raw Mom Summit.

It was beeeeautiful, but quick. Even though I had prepared a long list of things to ask him, in the presence of a still slightly groggy groom to be, I couldn’t bear discussing anything but looooove, sweet love. If you sign up for the Raw Mom Summit, you can access this 10 minute interview. He had some VERY sage wisdom, and after connecting with Shannon Leone (who did all the interviews for the Raw Mom Summit) I realized that Angela has spoken a lot about this special technique of theirs, too, on her Summit Interview. I’ve been trying it out with Mr. Right and it TOTALLY, TOTALLY WORKS! (Worth signing up for to find out what that is. )

Pssst… that’s YOUR cue! —-> www.rawmomsummit.com

I finally got out a full color issue of Health in High Heels! That’s something to celebrate. I love that little newsletter, just need to get a bit better at time management in order to fit it all in, I suppose. Hmmm… guess that’s my cue to call in a time management specialist as an interview guest.

We’re going to be declaring our independence from cooked food and clutter with another session of the Body Enlightenment System coming up very soon! There’s actually so much going on, it’s hard for me to keep track of it all, but here’s the thing I’m MOST excited about right now. (Well, second most. The thing I’m MOST excited about is a secret still. )

Raw Mom, Cooked Dad

This is a book I’ve been working on with Shannon Leone. It’s nearing completion and not a moment too soon. I’ve been so challenged and fascinated with my new relationship with Mr. Right these days, that the timing could not have been more perfect for me to be writing this book. If a cooked dad could be cooked, this guy’s barbqued, Baby! Meaty lasagna, wheaty bread and blue cheese. It’s almost surreal to watch myself in relationship to this person. I mean, I would have expected, insisted, suspected… something! that I fall in love with someone who eats the way I do and who understands and values the same nutritional principles I do. But we’re virtually speaking foreign tongues when it comes to food and it CHALLENGES ME SOOOOOO MUCH.

I love it.

I’ve only ever wanted to do the things that make the world a better place. I’ve only ever wanted to find a way to get this message out to the world in a way that is approachable, accessible and friendly. I laughed so hard the other day when he explained that he was proud of himself for accepting me as I am–weird and highly unusual. I laughed because I thought I was the one being tolerant and accepting!!!

It’s like relearning I’m being forced to relearn this whole lifestyle all over again. I watch my food-obsessed circuits play themselves while he sits smiling and wolfing down meaty lasagna telling me about the time he was soooo sick with a hangover and this meaty lasagna made him feel so much better, this food is practically therapeutic for him! I heard him justify the therapeutic value of “protein” and “calcium” and all the other hearty nutrients in food that I would consider unsuitable for human consumption.

I sit with a half-dazed look on my eyes while thoughts spit themselves out on the sidewalk of my mind:

“Doesn’t he KNOW the amount of carcingens in that thing?”

“Doesn’t he KNOW what that DOES to a person, to eat that way?”

“What about the animals!?!”

“What about the hydrogenated fats and opiate receptors in the brain?”

Doesn’t he GET IT that this food is killing him??!!!

At it is at precisely that moment that I am forced to take a few steps back from my own head and examine the carcinogenic nature of my thought processes.

Oprah touches the lives of millions of people every day. Does anyone reeeeally care that she eats chicken fingers at night? If I had a dollar for all the hours I’ve protested against the consumption of animals, I’d buy myself a book on nonviolent communication. The annihilation of chicken fingers won’t make the world a better place before honesty, truth and integrity does.

I don’t know how to teach people to care for the planet, to love and respect animal life until we empower and lift them up enough to value and respect their own life. I think, sometimes, we’ve got it backwards around here. We’re shouting out in the name of environmental awareness and frowning at fast food, but what if…

What if we all spent a bit more time validating the good we see in the world instead of complaining about what’s wrong with it?

What if we all spent a bit more time telling the truth (with love and respect) about how we feel and what we think, even if we’re afraid it might hurt to do so?

What if we kept less secrets and talked behind backs less so we could sit and exchange eye contact with mutual respect and admiration?

Without divulging too much of my own personal relationship goofups, I admit that I’ve tempted to date destiny in the form of a few raw food gurus a time or two with little success. To find myself crazy in love with the prosciutto-eating King of Sandwiches (as he likes to call myself), well, you can imagine my cerebral circuitry has been doing quite a marvelous dance of discovery these days.

I’m challenged to see the world in a different way.

I’m challenged to accept the idea that there’s more to life than what meets the eye. I always knew it, believed it to be true and now am being forced to PROVE IT!

So, until someone would like to measure the carcinogens in anger, hostility, hatred, ignorance, dishonesty and disgust, then I’m not convinced “raw food” is the answer to all our ills. Until someone can convince me that my thoughts are not responsible for the way I perceive my life and how I live it, then I’m putting more attention on love and affection than meaty lasagna.

Soooo, as you can see, I’m pretty passionate and super excited about this book coming out and will be talking a lot more about it.

In the meantime, it looks like my computer has finished charging. I promised myself some time in a park while I do some writing. Soooo, that’s enough from me for now.

Stay tuned, Snuggle puff! And let me know what YOU think about Raw Mom, Cooked Dad and surviving on raw food in a cooked food world. Now’s your chance, as I’m finishing up this manuscript, to get me to address some of the questions, concerns and thoughts you might have on this subject.

Awaiting your display of love and affection in the form of 1s and 0s in the comment box below, my deeear!

Hugs,

Tera

Raw Mom, Cooked Dad

As I write this, we are just an hour away from the official kick off of our Raw Mom Summit and whooooooa, what a ride! Amazing to have over 5000 people sign up in about a week and a half. We’re thrilled with the support and enthusiasm that we’ve received and know that this is juuuuust the start of what is to come. It’s not too late to tell people about it. Better catch some of the action, than none at all!!

If you’re here and you’re ready for the ride, then get your seat belt on, Darlin’, cuz it’s only going to get better from here. Shannon and I have been giggling and soaking up our Sisterhood all day today by planning the next big adventure. For now, we’ll have to keep some of it hush, hush, but what we can tell you about, is our upcoming book, Raw Mom, Cooked Dad! I’m bursting with enthusiasm about this book and so looking forward to sharing it with you.

I was finally catching up on the Diva blog this afternoon and wrote some of my thoughts about this book andhow I feel about it. While the book is designed to offer a lot of support to people who are trying to make it work on the raw food diet in a cooked food family, it addresses everything from attitude and emotional environments to how to make knock-out lasagna better than Mama Mia’s family favorite!

So, taken from the diva blog, here are a few of my thoughts on the subject:

Raw Mom, Cooked Dad

This is a book I’ve been working on with Shannon Leone. It’s nearing completion and not a moment too soon. I’ve been so challenged and fascinated with my new relationship with Mr. Right these days, that the timing could not have been more perfect for me to be writing this book. If a cooked dad could be cooked, this guy’s barbqued, Baby! Meaty lasagna, wheaty bread and blue cheese. It’s almost surreal to watch myself in relationship to this person. I mean, I would have expected, insisted, suspected… something! that I fall in love with someone who eats the way I do and who understands and values the same nutritional principles I do. But we’re virtually speaking foreign tongues when it comes to food and it CHALLENGES ME SOOOOOO MUCH.

I love it.

I’ve only ever wanted to do the things that make the world a better place. I’ve only ever wanted to find a way to get this message out to the world in a way that is approachable, accessible and friendly. I laughed so hard the other day when he explained that he was proud of himself for accepting me as I am–weird and highly unusual. I laughed because I thought I was the one being tolerant and accepting!!!

It’s like relearning I’m being forced to relearn this whole lifestyle all over again. I watch my food-obsessed circuits play themselves while he sits smiling and wolfing down meaty lasagna telling me about the time he was soooo sick with a hangover and this meaty lasagna made him feel so much better, this food is practically therapeutic for him! I heard him justify the therapeutic value of “protein” and “calcium” and all the other hearty nutrients in food that I would consider unsuitable for human consumption.

I sit with a half-dazed look on my eyes while thoughts spit themselves out on the sidewalk of my mind:

“Doesn’t he KNOW the amount of carcingens in that thing?”

“Doesn’t he KNOW what that DOES to a person, to eat that way?”

“What about the animals!?!”

“What about the hydrogenated fats and opiate receptors in the brain?”

Doesn’t he GET IT that this food is killing him??!!!

At it is at precisely that moment that I am forced to take a few steps back from my own head and examine the carcinogenic nature of my thought processes.

Oprah touches the lives of millions of people every day. Does anyone reeeeally care that she eats chicken fingers at night? If I had a dollar for all the hours I’ve protested against the consumption of animals, I’d buy myself a book on nonviolent communication. The annihilation of chicken fingers won’t make the world a better place before honesty, truth and integrity does.

I don’t know how to teach people to care for the planet, to love and respect animal life until we empower and lift them up enough to value and respect their own life. I think, sometimes, we’ve got it backwards around here. We’re shouting out in the name of environmental awareness and frowning at fast food, but what if…

What if we all spent a bit more time validating the good we see in the world instead of complaining about what’s wrong with it?

What if we all spent a bit more time telling the truth (with love and respect) about how we feel and what we think, even if we’re afraid it might hurt to do so?

What if we kept less secrets and talked behind backs less so we could sit and exchange eye contact with mutual respect and admiration?

Without divulging too much of my own personal relationship goofups, I admit that I’ve tempted to date destiny in the form of a few raw food gurus a time or two with little success. To find myself crazy in love with the prosciutto-eating King of Sandwiches (as he likes to call myself), well, you can imagine my cerebral circuitry has been doing quite a marvelous dance of discovery these days.

I’m challenged to see the world in a different way.

I’m challenged to accept the idea that there’s more to life than what meets the eye. I always knew it, believed it to be true and now am being forced to PROVE IT!

So, until someone would like to measure the carcinogens in anger, hostility, hatred, ignorance, dishonesty and disgust, then I’m not convinced “raw food” is the answer to all our ills. Until someone can convince me that my thoughts are not responsible for the way I perceive my life and how I live it, then I’m putting more attention on love and affection than meaty lasagna.

As you can see, I’m pretty passionate and super excited about this book coming out and will be talking a lot more about it. Stay tuned, Snuggle puff! And let me know what YOU think about Raw Mom, Cooked Dad and surviving on raw food in a cooked food world. Now’s your chance, as I’m finishing up this manuscript, to get us to address some of the questions, concerns and thoughts you might have on this subject.

Awaiting your display of love and affection in the form of 1s and 0s in the comment box below, my deeear!

Hugs,

Tera

Cool Summer Drink (Parsley, Pineapple, Green Grapes, Banana, Coconut Water)

I’ve recently been in the mood for green grapes and pineapple, so I thought I’d put together a summer drink to celebrate just how glorious it feels here in sunny Orlando, Florida.

Remember, you too can make your own version of a summer drink with fruits and vegetables you have on hand.

Cool Summer Drink Recipe

• Small handful parsley
• One cup pineapple chunks
• One cup green grapes
• One banana
• One cup coconut water

Blend and enjoy!

Tracy

P.S. When you do make your own version of a great summer smoothie, stop by and let us know!

Special Guest Teleseminar: Catherine Garceau: Why Overcoming Eating Disorders Was Tougher Than Winning the Olympics!

I’m soooooo excited to finally be bringing the one and only Catherine Garceau to our Diva stage! Catherine and I met last year at a lecture on autism. We immediately clicked and have been clicking ever since as we write emails, and chat back and forth creating some exciting online adventures together. She’s actually a Montrealer, so once in a while I have the rare opportunity to catch her face to face on the “homefront.”

Cat and I have been busy working away on a VERY exciting project to be released later this year. It’s a project built to help get “ED” (Eating Disorders) out of the closet and provide solutions to women and men who feel trapped in their relationship to food.

Catherine has a lot to say about this subject and she’s spent years researching, traveling and meeting people who could help her find answers to her health concerns. She’s had access to some of the greatest health advocates in the world and in her upcoming program she’ll be bringing the experts with whom she has studied and reasearched Cat is no stranger to discipline, hard word and determination. She knows what it takes to be among the best in the world at what she does. But she’ll be the first to tell you that her battle against eating disorders was tougher than her Olympic training.

You can access our call here!

Catherine is currently hosting live events like this one! Tonight we’ll get her to tell us more about them and her upcoming program on eating disorders!

Here’s a bit more about the great, the wonderful, the AMAAAAAZING CAT and HERE is how to access the teleseminar we did!

Born and raised in Canada, Catherine spent her childhood years as a pool rat. From an early age water was her home. After competing for years, Catherine first made the Canadian synchronized swimming team in 1995. Her dedication to practice and perfection earned her a bronze medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. But Catherine’s drive for perfection crept into her life outside the pool. Eating disorders, depression and health problems plagued her, along with the pressure of what to do with her life after the Olympics.

Calling on her reserves as an athlete and competitor, Catherine turned her challenges into an opportunity for growth. She has embraced her struggles and considers them to be gifts that have led to self-discovery and important life lessons.

Most importantly, recovery has revealed to Catherine her true calling: to help educate and inspire young women as a positive role model for a healthy body, mind and spirit. Catherine is excited to pass on her incredible tool kit for navigating life to future generations.

21 Day Challenge: The Final Countdown!

First of all, thanks, Mom, for kicking my’ butt and leaving a bit of lovin’ on the blog! :*

The Raw Mom Summit is sweeping the globe and simultaneously managed to sweep me off my feet the last couple weeks! That, and the fact that our 6 Week Detox participants are bringing it home to the finish line means I’ve been busy (even though judging from the blog posts around here, you’d think I’ve been slacking off!)

We have only 3 more days until the first day of summer, the end of our 6 Week Detox and the end of our 21-Day Challenge! Some of you have been doing just great for this challenge and many have told me it came at the perfect time!! Sorry I wasn’t more able to coach, but I’m happy to know that the spirit of play has been alive and well in many of you.

Need a last minute victory?

Even if it hasn’t been going as you would have hoped or expected, you have 3 days to take it to the finish line and go out with a smile on your face and a pound or two off your thighs. EVERY DAY COUNTS!

I actually started this 21-Day Challenge as a way to encourage all of us to take back the “steering wheels” on our lives a bit more. There are moments when we let the serenity of being slip through our fingers and forget we’re the ones making the rules and decisions around here.

If there’s one thing that really, truly helps me stay on track, it’s eating simply. Even just eating one food at a time is the perfect thing for me to do when I need to get back on track. Once summer hits, we’ll be kicking off a monomeal cleanse with clients who have purchased the Diva’s Guide to Cravings and Emotional Eating. This is a bonus cleanse that we offer with participants of this program and of all the cleanses we do, it’s my favorite!!!

I am working on an article for tomorrow’s issue of Health in High Heels and I am really excited about it. It’s the concentrated wisdom of what I’ve learned in the last 111 days! (Hey… 90 days plus 21 days equals 111 days. That MUST be a lucky number.)

It doesn’t matter what program you’re on right now, do what you need to do to focus on the next three days and really tighten the reigns to make this a powerful finish for yourself!

Tonight I have a special teleseminar guest and I’m very excited about this call. I’ll post the juicy details on a separate blog post, so stay tuned!!

Love and hugs and here’s to you, Baby!!

Tera

Flowers for You!

Hello! It’s Jo here. I do apologize for my lack of blogging action over the past few weeks – let’s just say, it’s been a very, very busy time here at Raw Mom HQ, as (along with bringing you the amazing Raw Mom Summit) we shepherd our latest baby through the design stage. Which baby, I hear you ask? Why, my beautiful raw food recipe e-book for kids!

I can’t wait to unveil it for you – but I must be patient, and know that its birth is imminent. I am one proud mama!

But I wanted to send a little love your way, and what better than with a dose of beauty in the form of a picture of gorgeous roses? The roses are placed lovingly in the laundry sink (whispered aside: I wish my laundry sink looked like this!) of Vicki Archer, an expat Australian who restored, to perfection, an old farmhouse in Provence.

If you’re a Francophile who’d like to indulge in a little escapism, head to Vicki’s “French Essence” blog at http://www.frenchessence.blogspot.com/ – or lose yourself in her luscious, padded-cover coffee-table book, My French Life. This sumptuous book reveals the journey of the farmhouse’s restoration, provides a taste of provincial French life and its people, and is filled with the beautiful photography of the talented Carla Coulson.

Until next week, sending you scented-blossom hugs and wishes for carefree summer days…

Love Jo

Photo reproduced with kind permission of Vicki Archer.

21-Day Challenge: A Flax Cracker Crisis

I’ve been a raw foodist for 6 years and yesterday was the first day that I made flax crackers.

Against my own better judgment, I decided to cave into the recipe’s instructions that I include a “tamari” or soy-based sauce. Today the thickness of my ankles tells me I should have heeded my own better judgment.

Some lessons are learned the hard way.

We’re coming to the end of our 6-Week Deep Tissue Detox and I have learned SOooooo much from this experience. I am so much more in-tuned with what’s happening in my body and so much more able to spot sensitivities, too. I think sesame is also off the list for me for a while.

How are you doing, my dear?

I have been somewhat snowed under in the happenings around the Raw Mom Summit. I’m almost at a loss for words when it comes to expressing how honored I am to be a part of this event. I can’t wait for it to happen so I can actually sit back and listen to the calls myself.

Just had a new incredibly well-known health advocate, Dr. Bernie Seigel come onboard the Raw Mom Summit. Shannon’s now going after the big fish, Wayne Dyer. Yesterday she was telling me about her interview with Byron Katie and she said, “It was like talking with an angel on Earth.”

We are so, so, sooo fortunate to be putting this event together and whether you’re a mother, a daughter, a sister or an aunt there’s going to be some empowering information waiting for you when we open the gates to the Raw Mom Summit on June 22nd.

I’d love to get a Health in High Heels out today, but Mika has a school play and I have an interview with Jay Kordich! ooooooh, I’m so excited, almost NERVOUS about this call. Here’s someone who’s been at the raw food thing for over 60 years!

And I think I’m a pioneer! Ha!

I hope things are falling in place for you with the 21-Day Challenge. You know, I was talking on the support call for the 6-Week Detox about the importance of having goals and targets. When we come to the end of one thing, it’s important to have another thing ready in your plan of action.

People thrive when they have goals, targets and things to strive for.

I mean, what would you do if you weren’t always trying to lose those last 10 pounds? Maybe you should think about it enough until you come up with something more interesting than trying to lose those last 10 pounds and see what happens. he he… Interesting idea, isn’t it!

The sky is blue today, but the frosted windows of my apartment keep me from feeling it on my face, so I’m going to wriggle my way out of here soon, but remember to:

• Sign up for the Raw Mom Summit! (It doesn’t matter if you’re a mom or not. This is going to be an incredible event.)
• Think up of a game, goal or challenge more interesting than the one you obsess about most and see what happens.
• Pat me on the electronic back and say, “Good Job” if I get an issue of Health in High Heels out in the next 24 hours.
• Join me for a JUICY interview with Jay and Linda Kordich today at 4:00pm EST!

And that’s all she wrote, folks.

Love you like glue, I do! I do!

Tera