I’m chiming in a little earlier than usual with an extra action steps email. Given the upcoming elections, I thought it might be helpful to share ideas and help keep the momentum going. A full article will come out later in the month.

In this Substack community, we’re interested in living in a healthy democracy. We want to live in a country where the health of our citizens matters on all levels. We want our political system to work for the people, not against them.

I’ve been feeling this way for more than a decade, especially while raising my son. My hope is that the example being set by the current administration on business, politics and how to treat other human beings doesn’t take hold, rather that our youth get to experience kindness, capability, expertise, and humility in our leaders going forward.

I listened to Heather Cox Richardson (HCR) last night, as I often do. In her Letters From an American “Politics Chat”, she pulls together current events and political highlights to share and includes related facts and history.

Tonight I took notes and gathered some of her suggested action steps for us here:

1. Make sure you’re registered to vote and have a plan for voting day.

2. Ask friends and family if they are registered to vote. Remind them the mid-term elections are on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ask if they have a plan to vote or if they need/would like guidance.

3. Get more voting information from:

   1. League of Women Voters

   2. SLEA (State & Local Election Alliance)

   3. Other voting groups like your local democratic committee

4. Put pressure on your local candidates and legislatures about the things you care about. It may be different from your friend or neighbor, but that doesn’t matter. Letting those in office know your thoughts and concerns is what matters most at this crucial moment.

Heather also referenced an upcoming documentary by Alex Gibney on Elon Musk, simply called “Musk”. There is no official trailer available yet. The world premiere is in September at the Venice Film Festival and it will be available in the US on October 16th.

It’s difficult to get much information on it now, but Heather was saying, this could help us push back on him and other tech bros who find themselves in power at this moment. DOGE stole our personal data and that’s what helps them rig elections. It’s up to us to push back and find ways to take back that power. This documentary could help us build momentum.

I’ll share the link to the trailer as soon as it is available.

Heather mentioned Lincoln’s Speech to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield (1838):

“Distinction will be his paramount object, and although he would as willingly, perhaps more so, acquire it by doing good as harm; yet, that opportunity being past, and nothing left to be done in the way of building up, he would set boldly to the task of pulling down. . . .”

Being wary of the destroyers among us who can be quick to erase what has been built by the creators. Lincoln’s fear is that the biggest threat to our democracy comes from destroyers within.

Heather talked about picking a lane or two, i.e., education and the environment. She says “Figure out where your lane is.”

She goes on to say,

“It’s not just about this election or the next one or the next election, all three are crucial. It’s about reclaiming American Democracy and finding a new place in the world because our own place has been destroyed. Making sure that that place honors both the best of our past but also the best we can be in the future, that’s our job now going forward.”

I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Please be in touch if you have any question or ideas to share.

Thank you.

Warmly, Jennifer

Welcome!

My Substack is looking a little different these days as I widen my focus on “wellness” to include the societal, economic and political realities of the day. These realities are causing all of us unnecessary pain, anxiety and suffering. As a long-time dedicated health coach, I care deeply about our individual health, the health of our communities and the health of our planet.

I’m interested in conversations about the systems controlling and supporting our everyday lives - especially as our democracy begins to buckle under the weight of corruption, deception and dis-ease. Societal homeostasis is becoming farther out of reach the more we treat one another as “others” and resist finding ways to work together as a collective. I believe true health comes from freedom (for everyone) to secure the foundations health actually depends on - including connection and collaboration.

In June I attended this MS NOW event in Philadelphia. I knew it would be well done, but I had no idea how much it would inspire me! The energy in the room was exciting and motivating - keeping the audience engaged throughout. It lit me up and gave me hope for the future health and wellbeing of our country.

Since then I’ve been eager to share my takeaways from the presentations. I’ve timestamped some of the highlights from the video for you as well. I hope you'‘ll find some passionate food for thought in these messages.

We The People - America 250 “Country at a Crossroads”

Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki and Ali Velshi

Philadelphia, PA - June 25, 2026

Guest Interviews with:

Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro &
Sherrilyn Ifill, Professor of Law at Howard University

In case you’re not able to watch the 90-minute video in its entirety, I’ve marked some moments where I may have learned something new, was reminded of something I hadn't thought about in a while or where I found myself fully inspired.

3:38 Ali Velshi – follows the timeline of the American experiment told through stories of courageous Americans whose actions changed the trajectory of our democracy.

4:23 Thomas Jefferson 6/25/1776: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

4:49 The story of the 14-yr-old Robert Hemmings, Jefferson’s enslaved servant.

5:37 “That contradiction. A man writing the promise of a universal equality while a 14-year-old boy, legally his property, stands in the same room. That is not a footnote to American history. Because sometimes democracy does not unfold the way you hope it does. That is American history.”

22:42 Jen Psaki’s interview with Governor Josh Shapiro

24:33 “… a woman, who didn’t even have the right to vote at that moment, walks over to him [Ben Franklin] and says, ‘Dr. Franklin, what do we have here a monarchy or a republic?’ and Franklin then uttered, I think, the most important words in our democracy. He said, ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’”

25:00 “I think what he set in motion, what the other founders set in motion was the scaffolding of this new nation, but an acknowledgment that the real work would have to be done by successive generations - by ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.”

In other words, it’s up to us to keep the republic alive!

41:10 “I think big change, seismic change, the kind of huge transformational change we need in this country can also come with competence, with calm, with kindness, with treating your neighbor in a loving way. I believe that’s what we need going forward in this country.”

42.03 Rachel Maddow

42:52 “Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

43.20 NPR annual tradition to read the Declaration of Independence in full - a disclaimer was necessary in 2017: “No, NPR was not trying to start a revolution.”

44:17

47.20 Core principle of our country:

Rachel goes on to present the power of our protests and rallies - including the fight against fascism during WWII.

Rachel Maddow’s interview with Sherrilyn Ifill, Professor of Law at Howard University

From a recent article The SCOTUS Project in Sherrilyn’s Substack newsletter:

1:12:15

1:12:57 “…this second founding after the Civil War…”

Yes! There was a second founding. And now, apparently, we need a third.

1:16:23 Sherrilyn Ifill says of the third founding,

1:16:29 “…the only way to stop the bleeding is to get control of the only potential branch of government we can get control of this year, which is Congress.”

She goes on to talk about how at that moment, Congress will need to move fast on Supreme Court Reform.

1:17:18

1:17:29 “…there is nothing lawless about adding justices to the Supreme Court. The Congress has that power.”

1:18:09 “…there is a lot of work to be done & that’s the work of democracy. That’s the Citizenship work.”

1:18:43 “…we were founded a second time. We will need to be founded a third time. And it’s on us.”

1:18:52 The most exciting part of this entire presentation for me was when Sherrilyn Ifill said this:

I was a history major in college. Listening to Sherrilyn Ifill makes me want to go back to school and study harder this time!

I hope you found this breakdown and video helpful. I’d love to hear from you in the comments:

Leave a comment

The MS NOW network has another similar event scheduled for next month:

MS NOW LIVE
Presents
Together in Texas: We the People 2026

at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 26

In my next Action Steps article, I will give a recap of Ben Wikler’s book “This is the Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy.” See his interview with Heather Cox Richardson here:

Letters from an American

Ben Wikler | American Conversations

Read more

a month ago · 302 likes · 6 comments · Heather Cox Richardson

Also coming soon are recommendations for thought leaders and organizations to help guide us toward the best, most effective actions steps we can take to reconstruct our democracy and, ultimately, restore our health and wellbeing.

P.S. The M - Dashes are all mine in this article ;)

P.P.S So happy you’re here! Click here to Subscribe or Upgrade:

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With FIFA in action all around here in Philadelphia, sports have been front and center. I feel the excitement as the players and their entourages fill the center city bars, restaurants and hotels.

Last week I listened to an interview where Nicole Wallace, on her podcast “The Best People” June 22, 2026, interviewed journalist, Pablo Torre. The title of the episode is “Pablo Torre: America’s Story is the Story of the Knicks.”

The description of the episode includes:

“…how sports weave their way through the political spiderweb, the colossal economic influence of a winning team franchise and how the game – any game – can bring people together and give strangers commonality.”

I liked the idea that sports bring people together and could potentially help us with our concerning politics problem here in the US.

The moment where I really tuned in was when I heard Pablo say this:

“Like sports has been effectively the toy department. We look down our nose through our reading glasses at sports, collectively speaking, as like proper, whatever, journalists or again, highbrow consumers and purveyors of political information.

But in reality, what sports is, is an incredible TV show that, sure, has various aspects that should make you a bit discomforted in terms of corruption and conflicts of interest and all of that. But really, what it is, is what and how America talks to itself. This is how we communicate with each other.”

I’ve done that. I made the mistake of looking down my nose at sports as if I’m better than that. I don’t need to waste my time watching a silly game. For many years, I wouldn’t let myself feel how life-affirming and connecting sports could be. I only got that through music.

Pablo’s quote reminded me of music and how times like the one we’re in now call for big, massive movements including unifying music events like Woodstock, Live Aid, Amnesty International’s “A Conspiracy of Hope” tour and, well, the Superbowl halftime shows. Bad Bunny demonstrated the power of music during this year’s halftime show, which I did not skip.

Live Aid and the Amnesty concerts were magical to me and succeeded in raising awareness about hunger in Ethiopia and Apartheid in South Africa. As a young twenty-something person, I became aware of the suffering of other people in different countries and that resources and attention could help make a difference. Music helped make that happen. I listened and showed up to the concert because music was my language. That’s how I heard things. It’s what brought me comfort and challenged me to consider things outside my comfort zone.

In the podcast, talking about the recent Knicks victory in NYC, Pablo says we’d be… “perhaps a better country if we have more sports fans.” He talks about how the energy created at these games is what every politician and political party ultimately wants to create. I heard that. As someone who feels pained by the political mess, we find ourselves in now, these moments of connection and oneness are like a salve.

Neither of my parents cared much about sports. My dad taught me to toss a football at a young age, but I don’t remember him sitting down to watch a game or mentioning a favorite team of any sport. My mom, for most of her life, looked down her nose at sports. Later in life, following in her mother’s footsteps, she eventually became an avid Cubs fan.

For me, I had adopted my mom’s long stare down my nose at organized, commercialized sports. I braced at the loud commercials and the ongoing blah blah blah of the commentary. I just wanted to cover my ears when the games were on.

That all changed after I missed Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. The decision to sit out that game was a big mistake. It was February 3^rd, and the New England Patriots were playing the St. Louis Rams. (I had to look that up.) As soon as it was over I knew I’d missed something.

My football fan friend called me, knowing how much of a U2 fan I was, and asked me if I saw the halftime show. I had to swallow my pride and hide my FOMO (not even a named thing back then yet), and tell her no. No, I’d missed it. I tried to downplay it, but my heart sank and she saw right through me. I felt shame.

I had chosen to look down my nose instead of showing up to watch, have fun and connect with others. Of course! (Hand to forehead.) No matter who played the game or the halftime show, it was going to be a powerful event - one that connected us all in our grief. My righteousness got in the way of a chance to experience something healing alongside my friends.

I am a huge music fan. I saw U2 on one of their first tours at the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 1985 and fell hard for their message and delivery. Say what you will about them as they progressed over the years, but those first years were pristine and magical.

This was my band. These were my feelings and I missed out. My loss. I could never bring myself to watch the video until just now, July of 2026.

One of the comments on the YouTube video from brianstolt3141:

“The crowd roar at the end says it all. That was a Super Bowl crowd. Not a U2 crowd. But by the applause, you wouldn’t know it…”

The feelings are still so close. Watching the names scroll and listening to the crowd (made up of fans of many different sports teams) cheer together as one touched my heart so deeply, especially knowing how far we’ve grown from each other in this country. I’m grateful it happened and that football was the catalyst that joined Americans together that day – giving them a chance to grieve, heal and cheer together.

There have been many significant moments in sports that have spilled over into our lives, telling heartwarming and heart-wrenching American stories. I’m aware of that. I can appreciate now what Pablo said about how sports offer a unique platform for Americans to communicate with each other.

Missing that moment changed me. I have learned to keep my judgments at bay. To notice them but not let them take over. To look closer and see the humans behind the sports fans or music fans or the members of one political party or another.

Deeply observing and acknowledging others offers perspective and allows me to be gentler with myself, to be authentic, and to be human.

It is clear FIFA’s World Cup games are bringing joy to so many around the world. I don’t feel like I need to watch one of the matches necessarily to benefit from the energy of them. Just knowing they’re going on all around me, connecting people, is what makes me happy. No resistance or judgement, just joy.

Living in Philadelphia now, I can see the lights from Eagles stadium – the Linc - from my apartment window. Sports fans are everywhere and they are serious about their Philly teams. Growing up in NJ and living in NY for the last 30 years, I will probably not end up a diehard fan of a Philadelphia team, but with my son at Pitt for two more years, I’ll be sure to show my support for their school teams when I’m in town. Of course, if I ever decide to pick a sports team and claim it as my own - there’s always the Cubs.

Any stories of how sports and major sporting events have been a positive influence in your life?

Share To Health, With Love

My son is home from college for the summer, and he’s asked me to teach him some new recipes or at least how to cook some of the old favorites. I’m excited to spend time with him in the kitchen. I find it to be a wonderful place to bond.

Cooking comes naturally to me. I love to cook a good healthy meal for myself and for others. Just the act of chopping vegetables calms me. Finding favorite recipes or making my own, mixing up spices, shopping for organic whole foods and weekly trips to the farmer’s market usually come with ease for me.

My favorite part? Sharing and enjoying delicious home cooked healthy food and having leftovers for lunch the next day.

The other conversation we often have when he’s home is about budgeting. At 20, he’s doing a pretty good job of taking responsibility for his finances. It’s all relative, I know, but so far, I think it’s going well. I’m also aware, there’s more for us both to learn.

Budgeting does not come naturally to me. I have to work at it. Really hard. Not because “I’m bad at math”, (I excelled at math in high school and college.) No, this comes from conditioning.

Growing up, most of the money messages I heard lead me to believe I’d never have much to budget anyway. (Unless I married a “rich” man…which I never planned to do because my mother spoke the word as if it was a curse – “rich” not “man”, well sometimes both – but that’s for another article.)

As I mentioned in the March article: When I Finally Faced My Relationship with Money, I struggled with a compromised sense of self-worth. No matter my income, I always found ways to sabotage any financial planning or investments. I even gouged out my newly formed and matched 401(k), to the detriment of my tax accountant. Ugh. He tried to warn me.

After my first marriage ended in 2012, I was broke. We had just climbed out of debt, and I was determined never to go back there again. Divorce is expensive and hard on the self-esteem too.

Despite the intense pressure from my inner saboteur to maintain limiting beliefs like “I’m not good enough.”, “I don’t deserve it.”, “Wealth is for other people.”, and “I’m not worth it.”, my fierce mothering instincts took charge (thankfully). I wanted to be a good example for my child (and for my inner child too) and change up the money messages of my youth. I had to figure this out – especially before the fear began to manifest in my lower back or in some other health challenging way.

I started using an envelope system to budget my money. I put cash in envelopes and marked them for upcoming expenses. Checks were used for fixed expenses like rent and utilities. Seems archaic, right? But it worked. Holding the cash in my hand that I had to live on for the month felt real.

I was terrified there wouldn’t be enough leftover at the end of the month for my son’s haircuts, shoes, school supplies, birthday gifts, etc. I was motivated, but even with the hands-on envelope system in place, I still found budgeting challenging. Slowly, over time, I got in the rhythm and made it work. My old money messages began to fade.

The new online banking systems available to us now, like RocketMoney. Monarch Money, and YNAB (You Need A Budget), give us a chance to keep track of our spending in a different way. I like the budgeting tools they offer. It feels like having a new technical gadget to play with.

However, I often find it challenging to tune into my budget with the same attention because my money is reduced to a number on a screen, and I feel disconnected from it. Budgeting, paying bills and transferring money online can sometimes feel more like playing a game than interacting with reality. Sometimes I miss the experience of a cash transaction, in places like the farmer’s market, where the pace of shopping is expected to be slower so we can experience the moment, talk with the vendors and take in the beautiful offerings of the season.

When money anxiety is in play, it can influence our health, and we may feel overwhelmed or stuck. The stress can cause physical pain too. Either way, this is where a conversation with someone you trust (a family member, an advisor) or maybe just taking a deeper look at the numbers on your own can help ease the stress.

For my son and I, it certainly makes a big difference! I know we’ll be heading to the kitchen together over the summer break, which will be fun, and I’ll be checking in with him to make sure we’re on top of school payments, loans and rising costs for food, rent, etc., all while chopping vegetables and stirring the pots together.

Already we’ve discussed the possibility of selling his car and buying a new car. Really? Ok. Let’s hear what’s on your mind…and the conversation calms us both as we flesh out the details.

End result? He’s still driving his perfectly good car for the moment and feels prepared for when he decides to take the next step.

So many things to cover and be out in front of so that we don’t lose track and potentially compromise our health. All the while, I’m working on building new money messages for me and my loved ones.

Any money messages you’re aware of from your upbringing? Any you’d like to change or update? If so, I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment

P.S. If you’re working with a financial advisor, they often have great spending and budgeting tools available through their financial planning software to share as a value add for their clients. Not sure? Ask them as they may have access to an online website for you to use for free!

P.P.S Next article I’m re-reading Sugar Blues, by William Dufty and will be exploring any connection between, sugar addiction, resulting health issues and our personal wealth.

There are many moments in my life where I’ve recognized my body speaking to me. I would receive subtle and not so subtle hints to pay attention to something important. The stories I remember most are all linked, in some way, to money or self-worth.

This is one of them.

About a week before I was to be married for the first time, I found myself, at 35 years old, unable to walk. Really. Completely stuck.

There was a lot going on at that time, many things to do and prepare for. I remember feeling dazed and slightly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the upcoming event. Partly because, well, it’s a wedding, and that’s a big transition for anyone and partly because I wasn’t sure I was ready to be married.

I still had an underlying sense I wasn’t good enough and I felt I didn’t really fit in anywhere. That I could never live up to anyone’s expectations of me.

Without a true sense of my own value, it was hard for me to make money or keep it.
I had recently quit my job in New York to launch a health coaching business. The earnings were meager, but I felt good about being able to run my own business. Still, deep down, I didn’t really believe in myself.

Apparently, when you don’t really believe in yourself and you’re about to make a big commitment to someone else, one that forces you to confront your feelings of self-worth, you can lose the ability to walk. Or some physical breakdown can occur. At least it did for me.

I went from regular physical exercise to hobbling through the days leading up to my wedding, wondering if I’d be able to walk down the aisle.

My soon-to-be-husband had his own complicated relationship with money, and our worlds were about to collide. I remember calling my therapist to ask if she’d meet with us about our finances before our wedding. How mature of me.

Yet deep inside, I felt like a fraud. Like this was all a front.

I wanted to get married and have the wedding we planned, even if we hadn’t worked out how to pay for it. The show must go on.

Our therapist gave us what felt like a clean bill of financial health, and we accepted it.

Then came the pain.

I had experienced back pain in the past - many times around money stress or feelings of sadness and anger (see John Sarno’s book, “Healing Back Pain”). This time it felt like it was all surfacing at once. I went to a specialized holistic practitioner and physical therapist (paying cash I really didn’t have) so she could help me stand and learn to walk again. The wedding was only a day away and I had to heal quickly!

Amazingly, on the day of the wedding, I emerged from the wreckage, not only walking down the aisle and standing at the alter with no issue but dancing the night away. It was expensive, but we had a delicious cake and an incredible dance party.

That day, I tucked away all the stress and anxiety, and my body gave me the freedom to have fun and celebrate. But the message had been sent.

I also noticed my new husband was white as a sheet for most of the celebration – especially when the photographer showed up with a mint-condition, robin’s egg blue, vintage convertible T-Bird for us to take pictures in – did that cost extra?

He too was suffering in silence with financial anxiety.

What I believed then, is that I was not enough. I also believed that if anyone knew about my struggles with money, they’d think less of me. I was trying to keep up appearances, but instead, like most of us, I was transparent in ways I couldn’t yet see, making my life more difficult in the process.

What I notice now about this story, from the vantage point of 23 years later, is I needed to go through it just the way I did. Instead of judging myself for the pitfalls, I can now look back and honor the lesson and love the human being I was.

All I was going through then had to happen for me to find myself where I am now.

My body still speaks to me regularly. The difference is now I stop to listen and adjust accordingly.

Do you have a story of your body sending you a message you needed to hear? If so, please share. I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment

P.S. The affirmation for overall back pain Louise Hay writes in her book, “Heal Your Body” is this: “I know that life always supports me.”

P.P.S. - my Maid of Honor is a financial advisor, as was our officiant. They both tried, lovingly, to help guide me and some seeds were planted, but I wasn’t ready to grow just yet. I will always be grateful for their efforts.

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Dear Subscribers,

This is an update of an earlier post, as I’m preparing to re-launch my Substack with a slightly different focus.

This Substack is for people who believe wellness is more than what we eat and how much we exercise. Wellness includes the societal and economic realities around us - particularly for women. I’m finding it difficult to focus on eating healthy food when so many in our country are struggling just to eat. Time and resources for eating healthy food and exercising regularly in the U.S. is a luxury, not a given.

Wellness, in this context, demands finding balance in all aspects of life, including how we live alongside one another. Eating healthy food matters, yes, but securing sustainable food systems matters more. And for that, we need each other.

Here’s how it works

Second Wave offers personal essays on activism and actions steps for navigating the complicated social, economic and political waters we’re currently swimming in. I’ll also be sharing stories as I write a memoir and a retelling of my mom’s story through the lens of the second wave of the feminist movement.

Paid subscribers have the benefit of:

1. joining discussions with others who believe wellness is more than just what we eat.

2. exploring current societal & economic realities we are facing through the lens of the feminist movement.

3. supporting writing that unites us as we seek inspiration to help repair and bolster our democracy.

4. receiving bi-weekly editions of Action Steps & Resources to support democracy and equality.

$5/month or $50/year (~ $4/month)

Free subscribers receive: Occasional personal essays and Action Steps & Resources posts.

My hope is to provide a space where we can feel empowered through our individual and collective contributions
to motivate one another and nourish our ailing democracy.

Let’s lift each other up and create a wellness protocol for our future.

About me

In case you don’t know me, I’m a Registered Life Planner® and Financial Transitionist® helping women and couples find clarity and solid ground through life's hardest transitions. My work sits at the intersection of finance and well-being, with a practical, heart-centered approach built on more than 30 years of coaching and planning experience. I live and work in Philadelphia, PA.

More about my Life Planning & Transitionist work here: McKinley Life Planning.

More “About Me” here.

If you have questions, please email me: jennifer@mckinleylifeplanning.com.

I hope you find this information helpful and uplifting.

I’m excited to hear from you!

Thank you.

Warmly,

Jennifer

As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, When the Body Demands Honesty, I recently went through several big life transitions all at once. One of them was leaving my job after eight years at a small financial advisory and planning firm.

What I learned at this job was life-changing for me. After many years of floundering, I was finally ready to get better at managing money. I had the food and exercise part down, but my relationship with money had always been more complicated.

Accepting that job was my first step in acknowledging I needed help in this area. I began taking responsibility for my own finances - and it felt good. By the time I left, I had more confidence in my financial well-being.

This firm was a bit different from others because the advisors were Financial Life Planners® and Certified Financial Transitionists®. They knew how to make space for the anxiety people bring to their meetings about money and had tools to help them walk through it.

Having a safe place to explore where my sense of self-worth was compromised, allowed me to feel more stabilized and at ease. I was able to overcome my anxiety about talking with someone else about money and I started to ask questions so I could learn more. That’s what changed everything.

You see, many years ago, I was given a huge opportunity that would have changed my financial circumstances for the rest of my life…if only I had asked for help. Between being born Gen X - notorious for not asking for help - and my struggle with self esteem and self-worth from childhood challenges, I let this opportunity slip by.

Straight out of college, I got myself a corporate job in New York City. (I really wanted one in the music industry, but settled for a job in corporate finance instead.) This was the 1990’s when money seemed to be growing on trees for the finance industry. After working a couple of entry-level positions, I found myself in the executive office and part of, what I now understand to be, the “inner circle”. Those in the inner circle were given company cars, apartments, vacations, etc. I was offered an apartment. All I had to do was pay it back in five years. No interest.

I found a lovely one bedroom in a pre-war art deco concierge building on the Upper West Side near the park. Location, location, location. I nailed it, but had no idea what I needed to do to keep it. I just collected my paycheck, lived life as a 20-something in NYC and spent too much money on stuff - clothes, furnishings, dental work, beach house rentals, cats, a surfboard - without knowing the first thing about budgeting.

The bigger problem was, my bank offered this new service called “over-draft protection” and I leaned on it for everything. By the time I needed to pay the company back for the apartment, most of the money I made from the sale went to pay off the debt from over-drafts!

The worst part happened just before the sale when I found out I needed money for the closing costs. I didn’t have any. I was going to have to ask someone for a loan. No one in my family had this kind of money, and even if they did, I was not going to ask them for it.

I ended up going to my new boss (there was a regime change after scandal at the top) to ask him if I could borrow money until the sale was complete. All this time I knew my finances were out of control, but when it came time to sell, asking for this money really shook me. I felt exposed, vulnerable and ashamed.

Looking back, it never even crossed my mind to try and figure out how to buy the apartment. If anyone asked me about it, I didn’t take myself seriously enough to entertain their inquiry. I couldn’t picture myself as someone who could ever own an apartment like that. So I walked away from it, heartbroken.

My grandmother always used to tell me to save my money. I didn’t listen. I just said,
“I know.” I didn’t yet know how to hear her.

Many years of therapy, self-help workshops & books, healing arts programs and even public speaking on health and well-being have all helped me in the self-worth/self esteem healing process, but finally feeling safe to face my anxiety about money head on made a big difference as well. Step-by-step, I learned how to become more practical and less emotional about basic budgeting, and from there I continued to strengthen my own financial literacy.

As a result of the work and training I’ve done at the firm, I’ve expanded my coaching practice to offer financial life & transition planning, allowing for a more expansive and holistic experience for clients. (More on these practices in upcoming articles…)

We develop intimate relationships with both food and money early on in life and they are heavily influenced by others. If either one of these aspects are out of balance, they can contribute to compromised health. When trying to make a change, it takes detangling of early messages and reflection on limiting beliefs to help inform us on where and how to begin. Physical and financial self-care basics start with inquiry compassion and safety. We need to feel safe when asking for help.

Next time, I’ll share more about this with a story of mysterious chronic physical pain and how it resolved when proper care and attention was paid to financial stress.

In the Wheel of Life, what number would you rate yourself for finances? Or any of these aspects of life?

Where do you feel like you might get in your own way when it comes to your finances?

Imagine that the center point is the least desirable state and the outside of the circle is the most desirable state. Look at each category. Take a moment to think about where you are right now. Where is it that in relation to where you want to be?

Thank you for taking the time to read To Health With Love.
I’d love to hear from you.

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It’s been almost six years since the world went into lockdown because of the Corona Virus pandemic. It seems like a long time ago, yet in many ways it feels like the ch…

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Thank you for pushing the button to pay for this publication! I’m so happy to have you here.

As mentioned, in addition to newsletters, I’ll be hosting monthly Zoom …

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Hello and welcome.

I call this newsletter To Health with Love for two reasons:

1. I love how we write open letters to people, pets, other living things, deities, inanimate objects, etc. to state an intention to the universe about something important to us. It feels like giving a gift.

2. I believe overall health and wellness works better when infused with love and kindness. “Be gentle with yourself” is my motto. A reminder for us all.

What do I even mean by “Health & Wellness”? As I mentioned in my last post, we hear this all the time used in many ways being stretched out and watered down to a nothing statement, like the word “natural”.

I still use it because it’s the industry I work in as a Health & Wellness coach. Here’s how I break it down…

What I mean by Health is the tending to the usual suspects:

1. Eating whole foods

2. Getting regular exercise

3. Getting enough uninterrupted sleep

4. Drinking plenty of water

Wellness encompasses all the aspects of the Wheel of Life:

So, in this newsletter, you’ll hear from me with tips on the basics - healthy, nutritious, wholesome practices to keep your body running well. The Health part.

And…for the Wellness part, I’ll remind you to take a deeper dive into different aspects of your life that could be bringing you down in some way despite having the “health” part in order. Is there a spoke (or two) on the wheel of life that’s in need of attention? Some nurturing? Some extra love? Let’s explore this together.

In my last post, I mentioned responsibility.

I ended with:

Let’s give the doctors and the medical communities some space to do their work on the heavy medical conditions that we can’t handle ourselves and start taking responsibility for our own health, our own lives and our own happiness. We can do this and there are plenty of amazing practitioners available to help.

What do I mean when I say take responsibility for our own health? At least the parts we have agency over. It starts with listening.

Over the past few years, I’ve been struggling with fatigue. Not just a little tired once in a while, but they kind where getting out of bed became a regular challenge. Many days of work were missed. On a good day, I’d get a workout in and it would only end up making me more fatigued.

When you’re overtired, all systems break down. The viscious cycle begins. I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep well because I missed another workout or yoga class. Routine workouts and yoga classes help me sleep better.

I also couldn’t cook as much for myself. Cooking for myself helps me sleep better because I’m able to eat what calms me and nourishes me.

Then there’s the stress. The stress of not getting anything done, missing work, missing family events, wondering why I’m so tired, etc. So I’m still not really sleeping well. I’m just stuck in this purgatory of functioning, but not thriving.

Then, of course, depression begins to seep in.

I didn’t want to feel this way. I wanted to understand what was happening and find a way out. I wanted to heal. Thankfully, in addition to my solid team of medical doctors ruling out the obvious possibilities, I also had a team of trusted holistic practitioners (many from the list in the previous post) who helped me find my way out of this viscious cycle.

Using different healing modalities helped me hear what my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects had been signaling. It became clear that changes needed to be made right away.

Truths needed to be revealed to myself and others before I was ever going to recover.

I decided to take action. Not only did I want to be free from suffering, I wanted to demonstrate freedom from suffering is possible.

Now, taking action often means other people are involved, which is why it took so long for me to come to terms with the truth. Disspointing people, letting people down, hurting someone else’s heart are not things I ever want to do. Staying in bed all day, surviving, not thriving, isn’t doing anyone any good either. With the truth out, all involved in my orbit could be free.

Six months later, after selling my house, moving to Philadelphia, leaving my job and parting ways, lovingly, with my husband, I can say I’m finally able to sleep. My body is healing, slowly but surely. My heart is lighter and my mood is brighter.

I needed space to be creative and to express myself. I just didn’t realize how much I needed it. My body let me know.

Now I feel a sense of freedom my spirit has been longing for.

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Have you noticed how banks now automatically categorize your purchases for you? Groceries, travel, entertainment—clean, logical buckets meant to make spending legible. Recently, while reviewing my credit card statement, I noticed a charge from a large chain pharmacy labeled “Health & Wellness.” I paused. Not because I disagreed with the charge, but because the category was wrong.

I’m a Health & Wellness coach, and while I’m grateful for pharmacies—prescriptions, ibuprofen, emergency needs—I don’t consider them part of health and wellness. They are part of medicine. Important, necessary medicine. But medicine is not health.

Health & wellness is what we do before something breaks. It’s how we prevent disease, regulate our nervous systems, and maintain balance—homeostasis—over time. When we collapse medicine and health into the same category, we quietly teach ourselves that health is something we purchase reactively, rather than something we practice daily. That distinction matters.

When I was growing up, most people went to a medical group to see a doctor. Some doctors worked out of their own homes. Doctors didn’t advertise their services in major media outlets, instead, they relied on the recommendations of their patients to friends, family and community members. You never heard an advertisement on the radio for which emergency room to go to or which specialist to try when you’ve received a serious diagnosis.

I believe this is part of what has caused so much confusion around our health and around how we should care for ourselves. Being constantly bombarded with ads for insurance, prescription drugs and medical specialists, eventually makes us feel like there must be something wrong and there must be something we need from these entities to fix it.

The reality is, good health can be ours, and it starts by blocking out these forceful messages and remembering preventative health care is key.

Here’s a list of what I would refer to as preventative health care practitioners -
who can help us maintain function, awareness, and resilience long before medical intervention is required.

Foundations: Daily Regulation & Movement

These practitioners support the systems we rely on every day.

• Fitness / Personal Trainers

• Pilates Instructors

• Yoga Teachers

• Feldenkrais Practitioners

• Meditation Teachers

Structural & Physical Maintenance

These modalities help prevent injury, manage pain, and maintain mobility.

• Chiropractors

• Physical Therapists

• Massage Therapists

• Kinesiologists

Internal Balance & Systems-Based Care

These practitioners address root causes, lifestyle patterns, and internal regulation.

• Certified Health & Wellness Coaches

• Functional Medicine Doctors

• Naturopathic Doctors

• Ayurvedic Doctors & Practitioners

Mental, Emotional & Energetic Health

Because prevention is not only physical.

• Psychotherapists

• Energy Healers / Reiki Practitioners

Medical doctors and emergency care are indispensable when something acute or serious arises. But they are not meant to carry the full burden of our well-being.

If we allow medicine to do what it does best—and take responsibility for the rest—we create space not just for survival, but for sustained health, autonomy, and a deeper sense of agency in our lives.

Let’s give the doctors and the medical communities some space to do their work on the heavy medical conditions we can’t handle ourselves and start truly taking responsibility for our own health, our own lives and our own happiness. We can do this and there are plenty of amazing practitioners available to help.

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