Congratulations! You Are Certified Awesome!

I knew we would get these mid-year certificates today from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to be officially qualified to work with clients professionally. I really don't think this certificate is a big deal. I, like many people today, seem to have started a little collection of diplomas and certificates for this or that. However, I must admit it's still a nice little pat on the back to receive this today! 

To me it's a visual reminder of the continual efforts we, the students at the IIN, have been putting in since last October. Every little step has counted towards getting us here now, just past the halfway point. What a life-changing experience! It makes the rest of the journey even more inspiring, and I must say, I don't really want it to end!

Maybe we should all give ourselves certificates like these for important milestones such as... having been a mom / dad for 1 year, having changed a bad habit for 1 month, having done the cleaning for 1 week...lol! It seems silly, but we should give ourselves more credit for the many things we do so well. In fact, I think I'll include the certificate idea in my practice with my clients! When they reach one of their goals, they will get a certificate for having done an awesome job. It seems kinda lame until you actually get the certificate with your name on it. Then, you secretly smile inside!

If you were to write up a certificate for yourself today, what would it be for? Don't be shy, write it in the comments below. You deserve a little praise!

Warmly,

Lise

Health Coach / Reiki Master

www.lisevilleneuve.com

Facebook: Conscious Living Solutions

Client Blog

Welcome To My Office! Doors Are Opening...

I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for all the positive things that have been happening in the past few months! The latest joy was finding this perfect, cozy, welcoming office where I'll be working with clients as of next month (May, 2014). 

I want to thank Donna and Murray Armstrong from Armstrongs' Counselling for giving me the opportunity to share their gorgeous and serene facility. This office even comes with a massage table (next to the aquarium and zen garden!), allowing me to practice Reiki (I've been a Reiki Master since 2012). There is a sound system, a built-in bathroom, dimmer lights, a large stone for energy cleansing and even a Keurig coffee dispenser! I'm very eager to get started! 

My medium to long-term vision is to work out of a wellness center where parents will be able to safely drop off their kids in the room down the hall while they go for their consultations or treatments. This will allow mom or dad to fully focus on themselves while their kids can play with others and be supervised by a professional. This will allow me to continue homeschooling my own kids while working part-time. Eventually I want to develop this idea of "consciousness for kids" and offer workshops and educational activities for children. Another cool thing is that I've recently met some amazing healers and practitioners and I'd like to team up with them in the near future. I just can't believe the synchronicity I've been experiencing lately! 

So for now, (because it's all about the Now, right?) the office you see in the picture truly is my dream office! Want to come see it!!?

I will be pacing myself and starting slowly, with a maximum of 4 clients starting in May. I will be working with in-person clients on Saturday afternoons only. For those of you interested (and located in Edmonton), I have 4 available spots in my 6 month program starting on:

-Saturday, May 10 at 2 pm
-Saturday, May 10 at 3 pm
-Saturday, May 17 at 2 pm
-Saturday, May 17 at 3 pm

I've added a description page of my program on my website (under Health Program) with my very first home-made "infomercial" (Lol!)

Also, I added a "sample page" of the 24 weekly support pages my clients will have access to on my website. The goal is to keep them inspired and motivated between our sessions together. Have a look and tell me what you think of the format. I always appreciate feedback (as long as it's good! Just kidding!)

Thank YOU so much for your presence and support. I'm happy to be sharing this journey with you! Let's keep in touch!

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com
Conscious Living Solutions (Facebook)

Time To Upgrade My Deodorant...

 

I've been falling behind on my blog because I've been so busy lately. Doing what? Mostly forcing myself to step out of my comfort zone! Let me tell you, I've done a LOT of sweating in the past couple of weeks, so much that I'm going to have to upgrade my deodorant! It may be "strong enough for a man", but not strong enough for Lise stepping out of her comfort zone :)

It all started when my school - the Institute for Integrative Nutrition- gently let us know we had to start practising health consultations with classmates and friends. I overcame my initial resistance and practised with people I'm very comfortable with. That was relatively easy. Nevertheless, I felt like I needed to challenge myself a little more. I wondered what would be the hardest part about doing these consultations in real life? Well, because I'm a hyper-sensitive, intuitive introvert, being face to face with total strangers would obviously be very disorienting for me (at first, anyway).

So what did I do? I went and posted the following online ad: "Student Offering Free Health Consultation..." And yes, many people replied to it. Gulp. No backing out now, Lise! I decided to put my big girl pants on and meet these individuals in a little coffee shop in my neighbourhood. So far, I've done four consultations with very different people and I have four more lined up in the next couple of weeks. I'm doing two every Saturday, that's plenty for now.

And how is it going? Pretty good I think, except for the sweating! I'm learning SO much about energy and how I really need to ground myself before, after and during these consultations. I'm more aware than ever that the best thing I can do during these sessions is to be fully, completely, present. I'm reminding myself to breathe. I'm experiencing compassion and seeing the necessity for detachment at the same time. I'm discovering that my intuition is a reliable tool. I'm discovering that I CAN do this, I CAN overcome my fears and I even enjoy it in a sort of masochistic way.

Nowadays, everybody can benefit from a little guidance, encouragement and support. Everybody should have a chance to talk freely and be listened to without feeling judged. It feels fantastic and meaningful to be able to offer that to the individuals who will cross my path.

On top of doing consultations, studying, homeschooling my kids full-time and managing the household, I thought I'd also look for an office to start my practice. What do you think of the one in the picture? It's available... immediately. It even has a massage table where I could practice Reiki. Well, I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime, I better do something about that deodorant!

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com
Join me on Facebook: Conscious Living Solutions

Learning To Trust Ourselves Again...

As I'm defining my holistic health practice a little more every day, things are starting to become very clear for me. It's an incredible sensation to tap into this knowledge of what I need to do next because I truly feel like I'm being guided every step of the way. It just feels right and everything so far leading up to the creation of Conscious Living Solutions has been completely flowing and effortless. I've been experiencing so many beautiful synchronicities, and the information I need somehow always presents itself at the perfect moment. 

What's even more incredible is that the ease I'm currently experiencing in all aspects of my life is exactly what I wish for others to experience. Eureka! That's it! That's what my holistic health program is all about : getting people to experience flow in their lives by learning to trust themselves again.

And how do we do that? By learning to trust our Selves, our hearts, our guts, our intuition. There lies the answer to finding balance and harmony in all aspects of lives.  It's really that simple. Of course, the mind, the ego, they like to complicate things for us, but once we develop our awareness of these little "sabotage factories", then our potential is limitless. 

Too often, we look outside of ourselves for solutions to our questions. What's the perfect diet? What should I do with my life? Why can't I find a partner? How can I heal this disease? How can I make more money? Why don't I have more energy? The truth is, all the answers lie within. If we can perfect our ability to hear our inner wisdom by diving under the layers of our minds, then we will be able to find that perfect balance in our lives without struggling all the time. Health, prosperity, joy, creativity, love...they are all within our reach if we are willing to listen to our hearts and trust the process.

I really want to help clients tap into their inner knowledge and wisdom. I want to help them discern which part of them is leading : their head or their heart. I can show them techniques that will help them get in touch with their true Selves. I can get them to recognize how beautiful, worthy and complete they are and how much they are deserving of self-love. I want to remind them of the incredible healing properties of their own body. I want to help them unblock their energy, their creativity, their inner-joy. I would like to remind them how to break free from their limiting beliefs and their personal prison. I can encourage them to release the pain from the past that's holding them down. I want to support them in redefining their comfort zones to allow them to live the life they REALLY want.

I know it's possible because I'm experiencing this flow right now for the first time in my own life. What a rush! I know It will bring me great joy to help others break free from the conditioning of their minds. How do I know this? Because my heart told me so. I'm ready to get started!

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com
Join me on Facebook: Conscious Living Solutions

I Have To Do WHAT???

As you may know, I have been studying holistic health and nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition since the end of October 2013. I've been learning a great deal and have been feeling quite comfortable absorbing all this new information at my own pace, in the comfort of my home (while homeschooling my kids at the same time). However, things are changing quickly now. 

I feel like I am being pushed off the passive student chair and kicked into real-life action! Already, after not even 4 months, I am required to start doing Health Consultations with clients! (I graduate officially in October 2014). Of course, we start practising gently with the people we trust the most -friends, family, fellow students- but I'm really just a step away from posting an add on Kijiji asking total strangers to sit with me for a free Health Consultation! I was a little resistant at first, (ok, very resistant). I have to admit I felt some fear and anxiety. I was not expecting the leap from student to consultant to happen so fast! But you know what? I'm ok with it now. Not sure how I'll feel when I sober up...(just kidding!)

Seriously, it took me a couple of weeks to get mentally prepared to go out and work in the "real world". I reviewed all the step-by-step instructions given by the school to lead a successful first consultation. I realized I actually do have a lot of information and insight to offer to people who are looking for ways to live happier, healthier lives. I plan on integrating some basic consciousness / awareness notions in my practice because I believe they play a key role in reducing stress and allowing true healing to happen. I also think I'm a good listener, and that's the most important part when working with clients.

So, last Sunday, I practised my very first health consultation with my "peer coach" -a friend who lives in my city who's also enrolled at the IIN. She said I did a great job. Of course, as a peer coach, it's her job to say that, but I trust her judgement! Tomorrow, I'll be practising with my sister-in-law. In a few days, who knows, I could be practising with you! (just email me if you are interested! www.lisevilleneuve.com)

What's amazing about the Institute for Integrative Nutrition is that they really offer a complete package that gives us all the tools to get out there and start working within one year. They cover all the bases -education, business, marketing, self-care, and they address the common insecurities most students face. They get us off our butts and into action in no time, and they empower us to make positive changes in the world by helping others help themselves. 

After I completed my degree in Psychology from University, I had no clue how to quickly turn that into a job. Thanks IIN, you have shown me exactly what I needed to learn...and it's not over yet...there are several months of training to go.

***By the way, for those of you possibly interested in being my "guinea pigs" for a free health consultation, let me just explain how this works: 1) You fill in a brief questionnaire (health history) that asks general questions about your health and diet. 2) You email it back to me and then we set a time to go over it together. 3) You basically get a chance to talk about yourself, your health goals and challenges (everything we discuss is confidential). 4) I listen, mirror back to you some of the things you said (it's sometimes surprising for some people to hear back what they just said), we identify your main health concerns together and then I tell you about my health coaching program. 5) You pretend to sign up, I congratulate you and we both fly off into Nirvana...well, something like that. Contact me at consciouslivingsolutions@gmail.com if you'd like more info about this free consultation. Thanks for being part of my training!***

Warmly,

Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com
Join me on Facebook: Conscious Living Solutions

The Test Results Are In...

Well, I just took exam # 1 out of 4 that I'll have to take this year as a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Because the test was an online, open book exam, I felt pretty confident that I didn't need to study or review the material we covered since October 2013. The things we learn at this holistic nutrition school resonate with me so much that they just seem to "sink in" effortlessly. Or do they really? After all, it's been quite a few years since I wrote exams for my degree in Psychology. Is my brain still as reliable as it used to be?

I must admit I was a little stressed about taking the first test, not knowing what to expect, and fearing that I may be a little too "overconfident" about my new knowledge learned at the IIN. I never took any notes, I just listened to the lectures and read the assigned material. The passing grade is 70%. I'm proud to say I got 100%. Yay! It was a piece of cake (low-fat, gluten-free cake, of course!) It feels great to be done and to not have to stress about "should I study?, am I really ready to take the test now?" Till the next test...

But anyway, I shouldn't be too proud of myself about this. Are exams really a valid measure of intelligence? Albert Einstein would probably disagree!

Still, I'm going to celebrate my mistake-free performance tonight. How? You'll have to use your imagination for that one...

Warmly,

Lise 
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Are You A Consciousness Coach?

Holà! Bonjour! Hello! I just recently created the Conscious Living Solutions page on Facebook and I am utterly THRILLED to see we are already at 239 members in just a few days! It's so encouraging to see how many people are awakening to their true essence. Being part of this growing community of inspired souls sure makes my journey towards living in a more conscious way less lonely! Thanks for being here. If you'd like to know more about me, please visit my website www.lisevilleneuve.com .

I think I'm going to have to learn Spanish because SO many of you are from Mexico! Well, that could take a while! Perhaps I should flee the Canadian winter and go take a crash course in Cancun? That sure would be nice!

Another large percentage of our members are from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where I am currently studying to become a Health Coach. Well, Deepak Chopra said it and I truly believe it...the long-term solution to health is awareness! Becoming more aware naturally leads to a healthier lifestyle. It's like you know exactly what you have to do and it almost becomes effortless because you are in alignment with Being. Has anyone experienced this? I'd love to hear your stories so don't be shy about sharing them!

This "alignment" is what naturally led to me to homeschool my kids. Now I am able to really be present for them and we enjoy being with each other so much. I feel blessed to spend this precious time with them every day. It is more awareness that also got ME to cook (that, in itself was a miracle, just ask my husband!). The correlation between what we put in our body and how we feel everyday is so obvious, yet many of us still wonder why we experience chronic fatigue and illness. Part of the problem is education. People today are confused about what is truly healthy, and it's not their fault, they get conflicting messages from corporations interested in profit, not health. Also, the levels of pollutants in the air, water and soil make things even more challenging. 

Dear fellow students from the IIN, this is where we come in. As you know, we are equipped with the necessary tools to guide others towards a healthier lifestyle. But it's not just about "eat this, don't eat that, do this, don't do that". It's the combination of the information we have been given at the IIN, with deep AWARENESS, that have the power to radically transform lives. Consciousness coaches will change the world inside out.

Warmly,

Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com
Conscious Living Solutions (click "Like" to join)

Eating Raw And Juicing...No Way!

Last night I watched the documentary "Fat, Sick And Nearly Dead" by Aussie Joe Cross. You can watch it by clicking on the link and it's also available on Netflix. If you're looking for an entertaining, feel-good movie (you wouldn't think so from the title), this is it! 

I get a kick out of seeing the "before and after" guts of men on liquid diets. It certainly should make you feel good about your own gut, if you have one. You probably won't feel like snacking on chips during this one. Rather, you'll get the urge to put those potato chips in the new juicer you'll want to buy for Christmas. Enough said, I don't want to ruin the punch line (celery, kale and pineapple punch, that is).

So yes, juicing is the new prozac in the health-conscious underworld. I don't have a juicer (yet...and I hope Santa doesn't get too ambitious this year) because I just don't think I could get into it that much. I've heard cleaning those beasts is worse than changing diapers on someone else's kid. However, I ordered some "green powder" and it arrived today in the mail! Totally legit, it's made of a bunch of organic veggies that you add to a smoothie or fruit juice. Apparently, it's the next best thing after juicing...and no cleaning involved (thank goodness, because I'd have to add that chore to our "Mr. and Mrs. Bitch Chore Chart"...see previous post).

The other thing that arrived in my mail today is Vitamin D-3 and...yum...Cod Liver Oil! I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. That rhymes with "brrrr". I don't think I'll be able to survive another winter here without more vitamin D (naturally produced by our skin when exposed to minimal sunlight levels). Tomorrow, the low will be -31 Celsius....that is -23.8 Farhenheit!! Without enough vitamin D (1000 iu daily) our moods darken, our energy drops and hibernation suddenly seems like a viable option. I have a tough time with this extreme cold weather. Can you tell?

Anyway, this week at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, we are learning about raw diets. I can see the benefits of eating raw food (more enzymes, vitamins and nutrients, less acidity building up in the body, more vitality, less toxicity resulting from cooking). However, I just can't fathom eating a 100% raw diet like David Wolfe does and recommends. David Wolfe doesn't live in Edmonton...and he has his crazy hair to keep him warm! I just can't imagine shovelling the snow at -31 Celsius and coming in to warm up to a nice, raw fruit-veggies-nuts-seeds and (raw) grains supper! No way, not for me. Sure, I'll eat plenty of raw foods here and there, but not exclusively, not unless we move to a warmer climate! (I'm open to negotiations here...)

This blog is a great tool for me during this year of "nutritional transformation". Watch, one year from now I'll be blogging about how juicing is a "must" and writing out the latest recipes for raw chicken...

Warmly, (but sort of freezing at the same time)

Lise
(www.lisevilleneuve.com)