What happens when a high achieving woman finally stops
Mar 15, 2026
Good morning from India!
(It’s actually just under two weeks since that photo was taken, but I couldn’t resist!)
Right now I’m packing up to leave the Bliss Ayurveda PanchKarma retreat. I kicked off my stay with the Holi Festival. It was private and small (far more private and small than my photo would imply!) but so so sweet to be here, and feel the way people celebrate.
People from all over the world coming together in pure colour and pure joy to celebrate the exuberance of life.
Which is utterly fitting, because at this moment, I've never felt so alive!
You see, my body feels like it's finally coming back. After three, almost four years. And when I think about where I came from, it’s nothing short of a miracle...
So often in the West, we’re told this is just “how it goes.” We hit middle age and our health starts to break down. We get sick, we pop pills, life, stress, baggage accumulates.
But that doesn't have to happen. That's not how we're designed.
I’m 51 years old, and I genuinely believe that taking herbs, eating in a way that works for me, living with the cyclical rhythms of nature, meditation, yoga, and incorporating basic but incredibly powerful Ayurvedic principles into my life keeps me youthful, healthy, and vital.
That's not to say it's been a straight line. Life never is… Being weighed down, having autoimmune conditions, or health issues you can't figure out -- I know how that feels.
It's a real pain in the a$$. It saps your energy, and keeps you caught up. It traps your attention in the uncomfortable and out of sync.
For a long, long time, I was completely confused by my body. (After all, I was doing all the “right“ things!) But finding Ayurveda helped me understand what was actually going on. After 23 years of living it (not studying it, living it) I know my system.
I know what puts me out of whack and how to bring myself back.
So that’s what this week's newsletter is all about: it’s about helping you move away from stress and overwhelm, or a life of hitting deadlines, and feeling constantly put upon...
It’s about living inside a body that feels sluggish, “not quite right,” and can't keep up with the work you want to do, or the life you want to live...
It’s about the connection between the two.
And, I’m SO excited to share with you! Because this is truly my life’s work. The work I was called to do. The work that’s transformed my life, and how it can transform yours.
Ayurveda: The True “Science of Life”
Let’s start by shining a brief spotlight over Ayurveda…
Ayurveda, or the “science of life,” is one of the most ancient systems of medicine in the world, dating back some 5000 years!
It’s a holistic system (and I mean truly holistic, not the often watered-down-wellness we're sold by multiple gurus and so-called “experts”).
At its heart, it teaches us that every person is uniquely wired across three fundamental energies: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These are made up of the 5 Elements- air, space, water, fire and earth. When these energies are in balance, you'll feel healthy, vital, and sing with mental clarity. But when they’re not (through diet or stress, environmental toxins, being out of sync with nature's rhythms, disconnected from life, or in a life of demands that asks too much of you) things will start to break down.
Five years ago, that was exactly where I was. My health was deteriorating, my relationship was strained, my business was super successful but taking everything out of me, I wanted to build something new, but I wasn't sure how to move forward exactly. So, I did something radical and completely out of character: I took a month off!
Irresponsible? Unexpected? On the face of it, maybe… But it was the best thing I could have done. It was a reset: real, dedicated time to actually sit with myself, go deep into Ayurveda, and receive my first panchkarma.
It was a profound turning point, and one that would change the trajectory of my life…
So, What is Panchkarma? (I’ll Keep it Brief)
Put simply, it's the deepest level of detoxification I’ve ever encountered. A complete reset for mind, body and nervous system.
Nothing I've ever found in the West comes close. (And believe me, I’ve tried.)
It unfolds in three stages, and understanding this matters -- because these principles are at the very heart of how I work with my clients...
Prepare. Detoxify. Restore.
The first, Purva Karma, is “preparation.” An Ayurvedic Doctor reads your pulse, understands your unique system and state of imbalance and customizes a program specifically for you. The body is warmed and oiled to loosen what’s accumulated deep within your tissues. It's the beginning, and reminds the body what it feels like to let go…
Then comes detoxification: Pradhana Karma, the cleansing phase of all of the excesses, the deeply embedded toxins within the digestive system, the Liver - master Metabolizer, the sinuses and all of the tissues and joints.
A complete difference in Ayurveda is that soothing and deeply nourishing the Nervous System is a huge aspect of the detoxification and purification process.
You will experience Patra Pottali (my very favorite treatment -- warm herbal packs that feel like heaven, true heaven!) Or Shirodhara, a continuous stream of warm oil, that’s so relaxing, you can sleep or transcend within 5 minutes of being on the table.
Finally, Paschat Karma, or restoration: because after digesting and detoxing, the body is again open to nourishment and recalibration.
The Deep Release Nobody Can Prepare You For...
During panchkarma, something deep and profound happens:
Your body releases memories that you thought were dead and buried.
Pain, traumas, or shadows. Long-held resentments or roadblocks.
Why? Well the reason is startlingly simple…
In Ayurvedic philosophy, your mind operates in three states: Sattva, Rajas, or Tamas (or, for simplicity's sake: clarity, agitation, or heaviness).
When the body accumulates toxins (both physical and emotional) the heavy state takes over, and you might recognise this as:
Brain fog or scattered thoughts...
Overreacting to every little thing…
Heart-thumping anxiety you can’t put a name to…
Overthinking, or getting stuck in a loop…
Finding it impossible to make decisions, or stick to a plan.
(Raise your hand if this resonates.) 🙋♀️
Of course, one could argue that life today is full of distraction, uncertainty and unforeseen pressure.
But even modern science now agrees that the gut-brain connection is real. So, by cleansing the body, something deep within the mind, emotions and memory are also cleared and shifted.
The digestive system resets, inflammation decreases, and you move into a genuinely relaxed state.
Racing thoughts begin to slow…
The puzzles of your mind can come into perspective...
The answer you’ve been searching for suddenly feels startlingly obvious.
Finally, your brain settles.
You remember, somehow, what you always knew.
You move into clarity…
And the truth of who you are rises to the surface.
So, How Does This Impact My One-to-One Work Exactly?
People come out of panchkarma knowing what will truly fulfill them in life. They know which relationships feel healthy and which don't. Which patterns they’re stuck in, and why. Or which work they truly want to pursue.
The realization is deeply profound. I felt it the first time I went to this retreat, some 5 years ago, and I feel it now more than ever.
But, if you’ve read this far (thank you!) you may be wondering what on earth this has to do with my 1:1 Coaching Work, and my many, varied clients?
Well, it’s true: I’m not practicing as a health care provider anymore (although I would argue that deep coaching is one of the modalities that impacts your health the MOST and is a missing link in modern health care), and I’m not an Ayurvedic doctor. But I do have a different, profound perspective...
23 years of living this has given me a perspective that most coaches simply do not have. I understand human physiology, true healthcare, deep therapeutic modalities -- and how they impact your nervous system, your mind, your emotions, your clarity and vitality.
I understand how to cultivate all of it.
Living this day-to-day myself and with my clients gives me a unique ability to understand people, and see what's actually going on beyond surface-level struggles.
Because I've been there, and I know the difference.
I know the difference between being miserable, unhealthy, imbalanced, depressed, overweight, or stagnant. I know the difference between feeling like “there's got to be more than this,” or getting up every morning to run on that hamster wheel.
I know the difference between that and living a life that’s vital, alive, and energetic. A life that’s clear and purposeful. Where you know how you want to contribute, and what the world truly needs from you.
This is doing the deep work, and it’s important, now more than ever.
You see, having your battery charged, your skin glowing, your body feeling ease and juiciness… that’s all wonderful, but it’s just the beginning.
It's knowing what to do with it that counts.
And that is exactly what I want for you.
So, if any of this resonated -- if you recognise yourself in these words -- I'd like to invite you to do one small thing...
Put your name on the waitlist for one-to-one work with me.
No obligation, it’s just an expression of interest. And when I have the space, I’ll reach out.
Love and Blessings, 🙏🏻💛🪷
P.S. The cool thing about this life is that if you go to the places that resonate with your being -- places that connect to what you care about, what you're made of -- you meet souls from all over the world on a parallel evolutionary journey.
(Not the same journey exactly, but similar threads.) ;)
That's what the Bliss Ayurveda PanchKarma retreat is for me. And that’s why later this year, I’ve decided to bring a small group of women here to experience it for themselves.
Want to know more? GO HERE NOW and you’ll be the first to hear when I have all the details.
Amazing. Just amazing…
I can’t wait to share it with you. 💛
