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Throughout most of my life I was a very disciplined person, but to a fault. I was an overly disciplined high-achiever and didn’t leave enough room for flexibility and intuition in my life. I was mostly operating from an ego-based place, and it took me going through my dark night of the soul in 2017 to snap back to my truth. Since then, I swung to the complete opposite side of the pendulum swing and didn’t have enough discipline or consistency in my life. *I do not regret any of my experiences as each one has been part of my unique human experience and got me to where I am today.
The latter half of this year, I’ve been contemplating and experimenting with the energy of consistency paired with a healthy dose of discipline. What I’ve found is that we all need a certain degree of discipline in our life, you just have to find the dosage that works for you. I’ve found that the more consistent I am with my morning routine, the more I’m able to healthily engage in disciplined ways of moving through my day thereafter. The way I start my mornings bleeds into the energy of my day. And if I want to show up as my best self and feel as good as humanly possible daily, the magic must start in the mornings. If it doesn’t, the entire day is thrown off. For me, waking up ahead of the rest of my family often looks like resisting the urge to drop back into bed after I’ve finished feeding my girl in the wee hours of the morning. Or reminding myself when the alarm goes off at 5am that this might be my only hour to myself today and if I want to be content today, I need to get my butt out of bed. Believe me the coziness of our beds, especially as the winter approaches, is quite tempting and highly appealing. However, what I’ve found to be more appealing is being able to emotionally regulate, feeling a natural sense of happiness, being connected to my intuition and creativity, showing up as my best self in my relationships, and making empowered food choices – to name a few. At this point you’ve heard about the power of morning routines repeated across every self-help book and podcast, yet you likely still haven’t committed to yourself first thing in the morning. So, if you are still questioning why you haven’t reached your goals or why you still feel so unsettled in your life or why you feel so irritate and anxious … my question to you would be simple: What are you consistently doing for you every morning? If you want to step into your dreams and desires, you must find an element of discipline in your life to start doing things differently then you’ve previously done them, starting as soon as you get out of bed. You can’t step into a new life if you are still acting in ways that represent your past life.
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This delicious new breakfast recipe came to me in my dream state and I woke up with an inner knowing that I had to try it. As you may know, I'm writing this at about 22 weeks pregnant and typically follow the messages in my dreams very seriously. I follow them even more seriously at this stage of my life, as I've found my spirit baby tries to communicate with me mostly through the dream state. So, you could almost say that perhaps she is the one who created this recipe for us 💖 Anyway, I elected to combine my favorite flavors including coconut, cherry, and dragon fruit with the addition of a yogurt and collagen base for extra protein and gut health + hormonal support. I would also like to make note that organic coconut yogurt comes with a host of real health benefits, much different than what greek yogurt has attempted to market itself as. If you are consuming yogurt, I encourage you to try to consume yogurt that is not made from conventional dairy, is organic, and ideally includes live cultures aka yogurt you can't find at most grocery stores (sadly). You'll see I recommend a cocojune yogurt in this recipe, however, for optimal and elevated health benefits I recommend Cocoyo Yogurt. I've listed out my preferred toppings, but feel free to get creative and make this your own! Be sure to tag me @thebrittolson after you make this as I love seeing your kitchen creations!  INGREDIENTS:
RECIPE: In a high-speed blender, blend coconut yogurt, collagen, and desired amount of frozen cherries and dragon fruit. *Consistency will vary based on amount of frozen fruit used (hint: intuitively select amounts) and you may need to add a splash of a plant-based milk if necessary. Add blended base mixture into a bowl and top with desired amount of blueberries, bananas, bee pollen, chia seeds, and hemp hearts! Enjoy! Did you know that coconut yogurt is a great source of:
I'm so excited to share with you one of my favorite recipes to date, and a recipe that will truly make all of your fall dreams come true. Well, maybe not all of them, but certainly your cozy, comfort food dreams ☺️ Combining some of my favorite fall flavors such as pumpkin, sweet potato, thyme, and sage, this pasta recipe is not only delicious but super supportive to your health as well! I remember a time in my life when I was terrified to eat pasta, thinking I'd gain 10 lbs overnight and considering it to be a “no” food. Later on, I learned that our bodies actually thrive off of carbs, when given the right balance and nutritional substances. You'll see I recommend a gluten-free pasta as I've found brown rice, chickpea, or cassava pastas to be the most supportive, but you can add this yummy sauce to any pasta you desire. Plus, if pasta isn't your thing you can actually turn this sauce into a super yummy soup by adding 1 additional cup of vegetable broth before blending. Enjoy! Be sure to tag me @thebrittolson after you make it as I love seeing your kitchen creations!  INGREDIENTS:
RECIPE: Cook pasta according to packaging and set aside. Chop yellow onion and sweet potato and steam for 10min on the stove. Dice garlic cloves and add to a small pot with a dash of olive oil and begin to simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, cashew milk, arrowroot powder, and thyme to pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes on medium low heat, stirring frequently. Remove mixture from stove top and add to high speed blender along with canned pumpkin, and steamed sweet potato and onion. Blend on high until a creamy, sauce like mixture forms. Add cooked pasta to a large pot, turning heat to a low simmer to warm. Top pasta with blended sauce, and ground sage and black pepper to taste. Stir, serve desired amounts, and enjoy! *You can add 1 additional cup of vegetable broth to the sauce mixture to also create a pumpkin soup if desired. Did you know that pumpkin:
And while you are cooking in the kitchen, be sure to check out one of my recommended podcast episodes below <3  PSA: It’s okay to eat carbs, bread, and there are no “bad” foods. For real.
If you think I’m crazy for writing this, I get it, I’ve been where you sit too. However, I’d like to remind you that there really aren’t any foods we can’t have. Sure, there may be some foods that don’t work with our individual, particular makeup, sensitivities, or environments we are in during certain periods of time. But there are no bad foods. For some of us, we have to make certain adjustments to fit our needs but I really believe we never have to completely cancel out a food, especially if we innately enjoy it. The one thing that is certain, is that we are cyclical creatures, and our food preferences often change with the seasons. For me, fall brings on my need to bake and nothing feels more satisfying than warm banana bread with a honey drizzle and a nice cup of tea as the temperatures slowly drop. I hope you’ll check out my favorite gluten-free banana bread recipe which you can CLICK HERE to download. If you make it be sure to take me @thebrittolson on Instagram to share! To add some fun to your time baking in the kitchen, I encourage you to check out my latest podcast episode on Loving Your Own Soul! Cheers! The focus on this full moon energy is to connect to your intuition and align to your spiritual center while harvesting the seeds you’ve been planting throughout the year.  Items to have handy:
Ritual:
To Begin:
MOON INFO Full Moon in Pisces is a feminine, watery, dreamy, mystical moon. Making it such a powerful time for us all to truly dive into our divine feminine, our intuitions, and explore our dreamiest dreams. This moon is here to connect to yourself and spirituality even deeper than you already have. Deepening that connection with the inner you, your soul beyond your physical body. Together the moon will fill us with the energy of awakening, bringing us beautiful change and endless possibilities. Providing us a fresh perspective to open us up to a new way of living and a new path to head down. Remember to remain open to the new, be spontaneous and explore all possibilities. And really take the next couple days to really feel into this powerful energy. Remember it is never too late to reinvent yourself, you can be whoever you want to be at any point in your life. This is such a powerful time for dreaming and really bringing our dreams into reality. With this feminine energy it is even more apparent how connected we all are as females, and I know us as a collective group (if you are reading this) has really felt that energy recently as we are all so much more connected than we truly know. This Pisces full moon is very watery, paving the way for feeling extra emotional these next couple days as well, but it’s okay, nothing to be afraid of, just let it flow. Plus, do not forget that our moon is feminine energy as well. I encourage you to really soak up and work with the moon’s energy during this cycle. Suggested Ritual#1 RELEASING If there’s anything you wish to no longer carry with you, now is a great time to release it. Let’s release what isn’t ours and truly surrender what isn’t. Please take out a loose sheet of paper or pull a piece of paper out of your journal, to release through the act of putting your pen to paper. Think about and write out anything you’ve experienced this week, the last 2 weeks, month, even the last 6 months. Simply freely write on your sheet of paper to release anything that no longer serves you. Release it all on to the paper. Release anything that no longer aligns with the path you are on, anything you’d like to simply leave behind, any emotions that feel stuck right now. Begin to write them all out on your sheet of paper, feeling their energy leaving you as they hit the paper, releasing them all to create space to call in what is. Checking those fear and ego-based thoughts behind you. Now, when you are finished, pick up your sheet of paper and really honor the words that are on there. Honor them and thank them for the experiences that your soul incurred in this lifetime and set the intention that these words, stories, thoughts, emotions do not serve you and do not have control over you. For you are you. The greatest and most sparkly version of you. And to fully leave behind all that we don’t want to take with us as we move forward. All that we are going to leave behind …. Let’s rip up (or burn, just be safe) everything you wrote out on to your paper just now. Rip them up and thank these experiences and release them. If you have the ability and would like to safely burn them – by all means, please do. Take a big inhale in through the nose really filling yourself up. Hold at the top and give it a big exhale, release out through the mouth. If it feels good to you, you may wish to cleanse the energy of your space once more before moving into the rest of the ritual. GROUNDING EXERCISE Now that we’ve let go and created the space to bring in and call forth all that is. Let’s ground down and really feel the ground beneath you. Take a moment of presence to feel your sit bones sink into the space that is supporting you and feel mama earth beneath you, supporting each and every one of us collectively, paying attention to your breath. Slowly begin to close your eyes and ground down into the space. Breathing in and out, watching the breath. You are safe and you are protected here, sharing in the energy of tonight under the highest energy of mama moon. Sharing in the breath as we all inhale and exhale together. Feel yourself letting go and grounding even deeper into the safe loving and protecting energy that the moon brings with her tonight. Feeling a into this state of presence and grounded energy. (Take a few deep cleansing breaths to prepare for the meditation). JOURNAL REFLECTIONS Please pull out your journal and take the next couple minutes to simply free write. Whether you elect to follow some of the following prompts, or simply fill in a list of all the things you are grateful for on this beautiful full moon. It may feel nice to also reflect on anything that came up for you during your meditation and how it feels to connect to your intuition and the moon.
Mantra to carry with you: I allow my soul to speak for me and my intuition to guide me When you are ready to close out your space, simply take a moment to feel gratitude for all that you experience with this ritual. Remembering that you can come back here at any time. I’d love to go back in time with you to the fall of 2019. I was coming off a season of travel, pr commitments, digital campaigns, web projects, and managing my own business and freelancers. My free time was spent researching the body, the benefits of plants and alternative procedures for autoimmune conditions and chronic illness, while planning my upcoming wedding, and raising our new puppy. Phew!
A year into my soon-to-be husband's chronic illness journey, I was supporting him the best way I knew how, while also taking a hard look at my own health. I was taking a variety of supplements that I had spent a ton of time researching, while also experimenting with the effects of a plant-based lifestyle and the ways my body was responding to gluten, dairy, certain oils, animal proteins, sugar, and other inflammatory ingredients. This whole new world of understanding food as medicine compared to caloric, fat, or carb intake had me absolutely fascinated. However, in my experimentations as I call them, I was still experiencing chronic constipation, cystic acne, brain fog, food fear, binge/eat restrict patterns, extreme bloat, etc. There were several things I was missing and had yet to discover until a couple months later… #1 Missing Ingredient: Gut Health
And the list goes on and on. I’ll spare you the details for now as there is so much more to share, such as my sensitivity to certain fragrances and chemicals, the effects stress and caffeine have on my health, the hormone and healing journey that occurred simultaneously due to the years I’d spent on hormonal birth control, and so forth. As you can imagine, I finally started seeing results when I restarted my journey with a primary focus on my gut - the center point of our systems, the main control panel and root of so much discomfort. The results I started seeing happened almost immediately after a week’s time and have continued forward to where I sit today. Now, did I completely reverse my health overnight? No. It took months and months of hard work, dedication, and pure intention. But it was fun all at the same time. I wouldn’t change the journey for anything. When you have years and years and years to heal, it’s going to take time. The longer you put it off, the longer it’s going to take. I’m also still on the journey, as it never really ends. There isn’t a finish line to bettering ourselves and evolving on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual scale. And I would never want it to end, because the relationship I hold with my body today is one of the best relationships I could have ever imagined. I see the correlation to my breakouts and stress, hormones, and dairy. I know the day my cycle is going to start. I apologize to my body after eating something that later causes two days of constipation (worth it in the moment). I know what my body needs and the messages she sends to me. I know what it takes to live life to the fullest, while honoring myself at the same time. What’s funny, but also not funny, is that I always considered myself to be a “healthy person.” I just carried a misconstrued definition of what true health actually meant. A lot of us do, because we haven’t been properly educated on the ways to nurture and care for our bodies. True health is not counting calories. True health is not fearing fruit or the foods that come from this earth. True health does not come in a box or package or can. True health is not low-carb, low-fat, and artificial flavorings. True health is not avoiding your feelings. True health is not built in the gym. True health is not sitting behind a computer all day. True health doesn’t come in a pill. True health doesn’t come from external gratification. True health is not a one-size fits all approach. True health comes from within and is possible for every single person. Including you. You simply have to be willing to start somewhere, to make mistakes, keep going, carry an open mind, and have faith that if I could do it, you can too. If you are ready to get started on building a fresh foundation within your gut, I’d love for you to join me for my 6-Day Gut Health Reset. Your world isn’t going to drastically change by the end of day six (physically impossible), but you will see noticeable shifts and a new sense of awareness. While you can participate in this reset as many times as you need, we will be kicking things off as a group starting this Monday, September 13th. I’d love to see you there! This week we transition from August to September, marking the start of a new season for many. With pending Labor Day weekend plans and an official closure to summer, it’s a wonderful time to close out the energy of a vibrant summer while bringing awareness to what you wish to carry forward into this new season and what you wish to part ways with until the next summer comes around. Summer always feels like a season of celebrating. We often feel our best selves walking into summer and enjoy a few months of longer days, sunsets, adventures, outdoor meals, connection, activity, and so much more! On the other side of summer, we step into fall, a season that often brings us a sense of clarity, balance, and perhaps a new productive spark at the beginning, followed by the chance to start winding down near the end, as we head into our season of rest or hibernation. One of my favorite ways to counterbalance saying goodbye to one season and hello to the next is through clearing and celebrating. I created this super simple two-step ritual for you to use as you transition seasons or even months. However, I particularly recommend this ritual for this time of year, because it naturally symbolizes the energy we feel. Feel free to incorporate the recommendations as you please, while making it your own in the process.  Step 1: Clearing Clearing space is one of the best ways to transition from season to season and doesn’t have to include a full house or garage cleaning in one weekend. Intention is everything, so by putting the intention to clear one area of your life, the other areas will naturally reap the benefits too. For inspiration check out the following ideas and choose one to play around with as you step into September.
Step 2: Celebrating
One of the best ways to show gratitude for where you’ve been and where you are going is by celebrating yourself, your life, or the last few months. Whether you are recognizing any accomplishments, moments of growth, new experiences, time with friends and family, time outdoors, longer days, etc. you can always find something in your life that is worth giving praise to. And if that sounds difficult, how about brushing your teeth each night? Or feeding your body on a daily basis? The small wins are big wins in my book. To me, the summer season always has such a playful energy, and with that playfulness, the fall and getting back to “everyday life” can often feel a tad overwhelming at first. I feel as though the entrance of falls comes with both a sense of relief for some needed stability, paired with an equal shock to the system. While I believe life should always be a continuous celebration, check out the below ideas and choose one way you can celebrate while stepping into September.
I hope you find inspiration from the above clearing + celebrating ritual and that you find this concept supportive to where you are right now. At this current phase of time we also find ourselves transitioning from summer to fall over Virgo season, the earth element. Virgo resembles the healer, practical productivity, wellness-focused drive, and detail + empathy. Natalie Holbrook (meet her on Loving Your Own Soul) reflects on this season as “a time to refine, to cut out what no longer serves and enjoy the bounty of your harvest.” As always, I wish you the happiest of new seasons ahead! If you need support in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out! If you feel called, I’d love for you to share your clearing + celebrating ritual with me on Insta @thebrittolson or in our private Facebook group: A Modern Wellness Community. Cheers! Wahooo – feels nice to be on the other side of this thing. However, I want to start off by saying this virus is no joke. No joke whatsoever and completely unpredictable.
For those of you who are new around here or not familiar, both myself and Dan (my husband), tested positive for COVID-19 a couple weeks ago. While I continue to be without full taste and smell, we can both say we have officially turned the corner. I felt called to talk a little about journey and the ways we found treatment without going into too much detail because everyone’s journey looks so different with this thing. I don’t want to give anyone any preconceived notions as to what their experience may be like, and instead provide some possibly useful tips to prep your body ahead of time and move through the symptoms as best as possible. As always this is not intended to come off as medical advice, simply some tips and tricks that worked for us. It is up to you to incorporate them as you see fit, only if they feel in alignment to you and your health. To start off, let’s answer a few questions: Did you guys have COVID-19 or the Delta variant?
Have you guys been vaccinated?
Is it really that bad?
Did you guys end up in the hospital?
Did you ever feel like you needed to go to the hospital?
Did you ever have pneumonia after your COVID symptoms wore off?
What were your symptoms like?
Now for a little glimpse into what our COVID-19 protocol ended up looking like: First of all, to understand what our preventative measures looked like, I could honestly write a book. If you want to chat with me 1:1 feel free to setup a 45min call where I can answer any questions you might have or check out my Life in Balance 9-week program to get started on your health journey today. Use code: FRIENDLOVE to take 44% off the price when paying in full. SUPPLEMENT REGIME: Zinc Plus (contains Quercetin) by Organic Olivia - 2 - 4 a day Microbiome by Organic Olivia - 2 - 4 dropperfuls a day Shop: www.organicolivia.com *These 2 products developed after both her parents got COVID and almost died in April 2020 Immune Shroom by Organic Olivia - 2 daily Vitamin D3 - 20,000 mg a day Vitamin C - 500 - 1000 mg a day Calcium - 1500 mg a day Systemic Formulas VIVI Virox – 2 a day *These were only taken by Britt as Dan received the antibody cocktail around day three or four of showing symptoms and didn’t need an additional immune system stimulant. These supplements support the body during increased times of viral activity. Mullein Leaf - 600 mg a day Zen by Cured Nutrition – 1-2 taken before bed Assistance sleeping plus packed with magnesium, adaptogen mushrooms, and cbd Shop: www.curednutrition.com - code: OLSON for 10% off Probiotic - Garden of Life - 1 daily FOOD/NUTRITION: ENERGYbits - 30 a day (pure Spirulina) RECOVERYbits - 30 a day (pure Chlorella) Shop: www.energybits.com - code: LYOS for 20% off Oranges, Pineapple, Garlic, Onions, Celery, Carrots, Spinach, Wild Blueberries, Dragon Fruit (Pitaya), Bananas, Kiwi, GF toast, Mango, Tomatoes, Miso, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Green Peas, Rice Noodles, Seaweed, Lemons, Limes, Ginger, Turmeric, Raw Honey, assorted herbal teas WATER Lemon Water – every morning no matter. Some nights we consumed this at night too. *Mainly ate homemade soups and fruit and lots of water. Energybits helped to provide optimal nutrients and vitamins and filled in any nutrient gaps we may have been missing. Biggest thing was immediately removing any and all inflammatory foods such as: gluten, dairy, sugar, oils, animal meats / products, corn, gums, additives, chemicals, etc. ADDITIONAL TRICKS:
I think that about sums it up! I’m probably forgetting something but that’s okay because honestly you have to do what makes sense for you and your healing journey during these times. Again, none of the above is intended to serve as medical advice and is simply a preview into how we treated the virus. If anything, start your treatment upon the smallest of symptoms so that you can stay ahead of it as this virus is no joke. It completely wiped us out and we both know it could have been so much worse if we didn’t have the appropriate procedures in place. If you have any questions or would like to chat further feel free to book at 45min call with me or send me an email at britt.ambu@gmail.com. This “coleslaw” is so light and equally beneficial for your gut (and overall health) at the same time! Plus did you know that cabbage is a great source of Vitamin C?
I created this recipe because I’ve never been a fan of coleslaw due to the nasty white dressing that is commonly mixed with it. However, crunchy light salads or side dishes are my jam! This recipe is far from your traditional coleslaw but one that you can still serve with all of your favorite backyard BBQ items. After all, a life in balance is a life well lived, you just have to find your own secret sauce that works for you! One thing to keep in mind with this recipe is to remember that I don’t encourage measuring and instead intuitive insight. However, to get you started, I’ve included what feel like approximate measurements of each ingredient. If something doesn’t taste right to you, play around with it until it suits your needs. Remember time in the kitchen is supposed to be fun! Feel free to make it your own and don’t forget to tag @ambuwellness on Instagram or Facebook! Ingredients
**Serve as a side item, consume over a bed of leafy greens, or throw it on top of your (veggie) burger and add some sliced avocado for a twisted burger! This salad started out as an intuitive creation made for Easter lunch and it turned out so delicious I felt guilty not sharing. Plus it is jam packed with crunchy, fresh Spring veggies and the right amount of plant-based proteins you really can’t go wrong. I made this salad to go as a side dish, split amongst four people, however, you could easily add some avocado or chickpeas on top to have as a meal too. This salad will probably become a staple item through the summer for our family. And this dressing will probably get tripled to keep on hand for more salads as the weather continues to warm up.
One thing to keep in mind with this recipe is to remember that I don’t encourage measuring and instead intuitive insight. However, to get you started, I’ve included what feel like approximate measurements of each ingredient. If something doesn’t taste right to you, play around with it until it suits your needs. Remember time in the kitchen is supposed to be fun! Feel free to make it your own and don’t forget to tag @ambuwellness on Instagram or Facebook! Ingredients
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2022
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