Overwhelm. What To Do?

It seems that everyone who I have been connecting with lately is feeling overwhelm. Are you feeling overwhelm? It seems to be something we are not experiencing individually, but collectively right now. It’s no surprise with everything that has been going on the last few months: the Coranavirus pandemic (the fear of becoming sick, the fear of our loved ones becoming sick, the isolation and not having the help systems we have relied on, job loss/financial loss, losing loved ones to the virus), all of the corruption and racism that has been appearing in the news, all of the scandals etc. What can we do to feel better and release this overwhelm?

Yesterday, in my private Facebook Group, Empowered Joyful Empaths, I discussed this topic and let everyone know that they are not alone if they are feeling overwhelm. I also provided some coping skills to help at this time.

Try these coping skills. Pick the ones that are best for you. You do not need to practice all of them.

Meditate
Spend time alone in nature
Consciously slow down
Take something off your to do list
De-clutter
Breathe deeply
Delegate
Prioritize. Does everything need to be done today?
Rest/Nap
Have fun

Advice From My Grandfather

When I was growing up, I loved spending time with my grandfather. In the summer and for holidays, I traveled down to Washington, D.C. to spend time with him. We used to sit on his front porch and chat and people watch. He waved and said hello to every black person who walked by.

I accompanied him to the grocery store and the same thing, any time he passed a black man or woman he nodded, waved, and said hello.

I asked him, “Who was that?”

He replied, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know that person?”

“No,” he replied.

I noticed the pattern; every single time, he saw a black person, he said hello.

So one day, I asked him why he said hello to every black person.

He stopped and looked at me like I had three heads and said, “It’s what you do, Khristee.”

I took that statement to heart.

I grew up in a white community where my family was one of a couple of black families in town at the time. Besides my family, I didn’t come across many African Americans, so when I went to college and was exposed to more blacks, I made a point to say hello to everyone who I saw.

I See You On Facebook. I Know Everything is Good With You.

I see you on Facebook.

I see your smiles.

I see your cute memes.

I see your highs.

I know everything is good with you.

I don’t need to see your diary entries.

I don’t need to know more than a post,

because you post every day.

What else could you have to say?

But that is only a fraction of me.

I am more than you see.

I have fears.

I have tears.

I have parts of me that I don’t want you to see.

I have shadows like you.

I have a past I try to undo.

I don’t have it all figured out.

I yell. I shout.

I have parts I don’t talk about.

Authenticity, Creativity, IdentityKhristee RichJuly 9, 2020poetry, authentic writing, authenticity, poet, Khristee Rich, Facebook, assumptions, shadowComment

People No Longer

People can no longer count their own steps so they have watches to do that for them.

People no longer have the patience to be healed by healers so they purchase their own healing machines.

People can no longer keep track of their objects so they have apps to find their phones.

People can no longer be responsible for their time so their phone tracks their productivity.

People no longer have patience to research when they can ask Siri.

People can no longer be bothered to cook so they microwave the nutrition out of their food.

Or eat food out of cans,

Plastic,

Or cardboard.

No more do people share wisdom, but articles from Google.

No more do people call, but send texts and emojis.

No more do people wake up to birds chirping or a rooster crowing or the sunlight streaming in, but to an alarm sounding.

People use their voices to turn on music instead of their fingers.

People rely on voice commands to guide their way instead of their inner compass or a well illustrated map.

Authenticity, Creativity, MindfulnessKhristee RichJuly 8, 2020creativity, poetry, mindfulnessComment

They’ve Lied To Us

I am feeling mixed feelings today.
We celebrate freedom from the British today because we took freedom away from Native Americans.

Normally, I love the 4th of July.

It symbolizes freedom, fun, time with family and loved ones, good food, but how often do we think about what it really means?

This is the first time I took a moment to let it soak in.
Maybe because I have been doing so much soul searching and I have been looking at all the lies that have been told to us.

Everyone loves a day off. But what does the 4th of July mean?

In the history books, (they gave us in grade school), they say that Christopher Columbus “discovered” America in 1492.

They lied to us.

It was discovered before by Native Americans.
The United States didn’t begin because of a “discovery.”
It began from abuse of power.
Europeans believed in Manifest Destiny.
They believed that the more land they possessed, the more powerful they were.
They didn’t care if other people already lived here.
They wanted it for themselves.
Native Americans were not respected because of their race.
Because they were dark-skinned, spoke a different language, and were not Christian, they were seen as inferior.
Our country was created by abuse of power and racism.

Authenticity, IdentityKhristee RichJuly 4, 2020Native American, Fourth of JulyComment

Narcissists in The Business Coaching and Thought Leadership World

There is a very famous business coach/thought leader/motivational speaker; you may know him. He teaches people mind-over-matter by encouraging them to walk on hot coals; he hosts live events with thousands of attendees (which sell out fast for big bucks), and many women have accused him of making inappropriate sexual advances and sexually harassing them. (This is fans and staff. ) Some have even said, that he berated abuse victims. Yes, he is incredibly successful in his career, has a huge following, but he is a narcissist.

Narcissists are often successful in business because they are ruthless; they don’t care about anyone else but themselves. If you boost their ego, they will love you, but if you show that you are vulnerable and didn’t feel emotional supported or seen by them or that they didn’t help you, that’s when they get mean and ugly. Narcissists are incredibly vain; they are always focused on themselves, even if they don’t like themselves. They often did not feel emotionally supported as children, so they have no problems giving you tough love.

There are many coaches/thoughts leaders today who are narcissists and yet their businesses are booming.

Why?

Because they are successful in business and people want to learn from those who are uber successful.

The New Know-It-All Bullies

I am fortunate to say that I was not bullied growing up, but sadly, I see that bullying and more specifically, cyberbullying is on the rise.

I do not believe in public humiliation, so I won’t use her name, but there is a very famous business coach, a millionaire, who uses bullying tactics to get her new clients and to control the clients she has. she was the first to say, “Make your mess your message“, “ It’s either a Hell yes or a no”, and “How you do anything is how you do everything.“

Yes, she’s got some catchy sayings and some great messages.

But it is never okay to bully. (Shame, judge, criticize) someone publicly. This is a manipulation tactic to control another person, to silence them, and embarrass them into submission. Unfortunately, it is used a lot in the coaching world and it puts a coach in a position of power/authority.

No longer are bullies on the playground, but they are adults with deep wounds that others are hiring. I followed this coach for some time before I realized that she was a bully. I was so impressed by her ability to go from a secretary to a millionaire and to have a thriving business with a huge staff and a huge following. I wanted to be a successful entrepreneur like her. I wanted to learn how she did it.

It wasn’t until I hopped on a free group coaching call that I clearly saw her scare tactics in motion. She coached us one-by-one on our specific problems and then at the end, she invited us to her live in-person event in Vegas on specific dates. I remember the first woman she coached. She said, “Thank you. Unfortunately, I can’t attend because my daughter is having her first baby and of course, I don’t know the exact date it will happen, but she is due around the same time as your event and I plan to be there two weeks to help out, so I’m sorry, I won’t be able to make it this year, but would love to attend next year.“

“Definitely Not A Model”

After college where I earned a B.F.A Theatre Performance degree from the University of Michigan, I went to The School for Film and Television in New York City. My scene study teacher helped us to see how casting directors saw us, what types we should play and submit to. We all wanted to know this because we weren’t getting cast in the roles we wanted or weren’t getting cast enough period.

He went around the room telling everyone their types simply from their looks. For me he said the role I would play would be a cop, an NYPD cop, definitely not a model. He actually said, “Definitely not a model.”!! I was so hurt and confused. I never thought of myself as tough or that people viewed me as an NYPD cop and not beautiful. I was 22/23 and I thought I had potential to be pretty. I looked to my teacher for advice and guidance and he told me that I was not pretty enough for TV or to be seen as a pretty role on TV. True, I was not especially curvy, I didn’t know how to do fancy makeup and wasn’t that stylish, but I was slim, and not short. Everyone else in the class was given more flattering stereotypes to play and I wondered why I wasn’t. I concluded that I didn’t like the teacher; he was prejudiced against me and I needed to do something different with my hair.

Growing up I wore my hair in braids every day from age 4 to 13 because 1) I had really thick hair and 2) I wanted to look neat in school and fit in like the other kids. Being a light-skinned African American girl the only way others could tell that I was black was my hair.

They would say that I had kinky hair and if I ever wore my hair down my classmates (the boys) would make fun of me.

My hair was my struggle for most of my childhood. On the weekends other kids played in sports and participated in extracurriculars, but for me I had to pick one day, Saturday or Sunday to wash my hair. Normally, I picked Saturday so that I could have a full day to relax before school the next day. I was allowed to watch one cartoon and then for the next 6 hours I washed my hair and my mother dried and braided my hair. Yes, that’s right, every weekend it took 5 1/2 to 6 hours to dry and de-tangle my hair and put it back into neat braids. During that time, I always wished that I could be playing with friends, playing in sports, relaxing watching TV, or outside playing in nature. After hours of having my hair yanked and pulled tightly with a brissle brush, doused with water, and my skin burned from the hair dryer, my head and neck were sore and I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.

Pull Back The Curtain, The Truth Is Being Revealed

In 2016, I went to Peru and I had a big spiritual awakening. Since I was 20, I had wanted to go to South America, but everyone told me it was dangerous for an American woman to travel there alone, so I didn’t. In 2016 I finally got the courage to go. I went to Lake Titicaca one of the powerful spiritual vortexes of the world. I was so sick at Lake Titicaca. It is the highest elevation lake in the world and I had terrible altitude sickness and food poisoning at the same time. I almost died. (I will share more about this story in another post.) Once I got better and was able to return home, I was not the same. It wasn’t anything I did in Peru, but it was Peru that changed me. It was after that trip that I decided to move from Los Angeles back to my hometown in Connecticut. I had been in LA for about a year pursuing my acting, comedy, and modeling career (it was going so well!) and suddenly it was no longer the place for me, not because of a decision, but because energetically it was no longer right for me. I couldn’t get myself to go back. My near death experience changed me. That was when I moved to CT and my focus became holistic health and wellness.

faith, Inspiration, SpiritualityKhristee RichJune 15, 2020spiritual awakening, inspiration, inspirational stories, spirituality, faith, trustComment

It's A Bigger Issue Than Racism

Last year one of my clients asked me to teach empathy since he believed that the world needed more empathy. No one ever asked me to teach empathy before so I thought about it for a minute. I have been an empath all of my life, but can empathy be taught? I concluded that it can’t. Compassion can be taught; mindfulness can be taught but empathy cannot be taught, especially as one gets older.

Luckily I grew up with my father being empathic so I was around empathy growing up. Kids develop most of their personality by the age of 7.

I grew up in a predominantly white environment as one of the few African American families in town. Looking at me, most people don’t expect it, but like other African-Americans, I was exposed to racism. But I was exposed to racism in a different way than most since many people didn’t know if I was white or black.

On the school bus, I remembered one kid saying how much he hated blacks and my neighbor tried to shush him saying, “Be quiet! Khristee’s on the bus!”

To which he replied, “Who cares? She’s not black!”

To which my neighbor replied, “Yes, she is!”

They Say It's Like Giving Birth!

Being in lockdown has been like a Master Class in learning about myself. I am questioning everything: my career, my life purpose, my relationships, health, and so much more! I have been triggered and so many emotions have been coming up. It has forced me to take a hard look at my life and what is working and what is not, to truly understand why things that I have wanted for so long are not manifesting and what I need to finally change.

The good news is that after much thought, I have clarity! My soul purpose is to be a writer and an international transformational speaker. But writing a book is hard. As many people say, "It's a lot like giving birth!" You have to put all of your focus on it and give it all you've got.

Happy Earth Day!

Hi Everyone!

Once a year, we celebrate the Earth. I don't know about you, but I love the Earth! I love the beautiful landscapes, the oceans, the sunsets, the fresh air, the rainbows, the waterfalls, the meadows, the gorgeous animals, the delicious fruits and vegetables, the colors, the textures, the fragrances, you name it! I am glad to be here on this Earth!

For some Earth Day may seem like just another holiday, but the truth of it is that most of us take the Earth for granted. Which is a real shame! The Earth gives us so much! It gives us life, health, energy, food, oxygen, protection, and peace of mind. It energizes us, grounds us, and even inspires us.

Pamper The Ones You Love

Have you been pampering yourself? It's hard to believe that it's almost Mother's Day. It's just 2 1/2 weeks away!

Since it is taking a bit longer to receive items in the mail, I wanted to send you the reminder that it's now time to think about sending Mother's Day gifts to your mother, your daughter if she is a mother, or a gift to yourself if you are a mother. Since money is tight for many, I wanted to recommend this wonderful Canadian company called Body Cherish, that I just discovered last year. Not only will you receive fabulous, healthy, beauty products, but with the American dollar being stronger than the Canadian dollar you will get bang for your buck.

I am a big supporter of liver detoxification and holistic health and wellness (mind, body, and spirit). Unfortunately many body care products contain toxins, harmful chemicals, and harsh preservatives which may contribute to poor health, illness, even reproductive problems for women. Luckily, Body Cherish is conscious of this and only uses high-quality healthy, organic bodycare ingredients. These products make you feel beautiful, healthy, and pampered!

Overcoming chronic illness and advocating for your health!

Have you ever had a chronic illness, a health crisis, or a chronic health condition? Did you overcome it quickly? Did you feel supported? Or did you learn to become your own health advocate?

Recently, I was interviewed by Janice McQueen Ward on her Beauty Call Podcast. Janice interviews ladies who are beautiful inside and out. Janice’s podcast focuses on beauty, health and wellness, faith, and even offers beauty tips! On the podcast, I shared how I overcame my debilitating, fifteen year, chronic illness, how I became a holistic healer and how I became my own health advocate, as well as, some timely tips on how to help prevent contracting the Coronavirus.

On this episode, you will learn:

What is holistic health and wellness
Importance of detoxifying our livers
Importance of getting to the root cause in illness and taking a holistic approach
Why it is so important for women to prioritize healing and self-care
Why I am writing a book about childbirth around the world
Female empowerment- why it is so important right now
The focus of my new Blog, Mum’s The Word: Mothers Speaking Out About Childbirth Around The World
and more!

How are you coping with COVID?

How are you coping with the effects of the Coronavirus?

Are you angry? Confused? Sad? Feeling out of control? Looking for answers, inspiration, and balance?
Many people are being triggered right now. I spoke about this topic last Friday on my Facebook Live in my private Facebook Group Empowered Joyful Empaths and offered tips and a relaxing meditation for all who are being triggered at this time. I am offering free live meditations every Friday at 6:30 PM Eastern during the time of the Coronavirus. But if once a week is not enough support for you, I have something else that I know you will love!

Registration is officially OPEN for the Rise and Bloom: Coping with Covid Virtual Summit! This summit was created by the Rise and Bloom Mastermind I am a a part of to help you find great health, balance, and empowerment during the time of the Coronavirus.

We’ve got 11 incredible speakers from all around the U.S. and a few international speakers too.

Are You On The Road To Health?

I remember when I was struggling with my debilitating chronic illness. It was a long, fifteen year journey on the road to health!

Recently I was interviewed by Tamar Medford for her podcast, The Road To Health. In this episode, I shared how I overcame my chronic illness and how the journey lead me to become a holistic healer. helping others to overcome their chronic illness and chronic health and mental conditions. It was a fun trip down memory lane!

Also because of the Coronavirus health crisis, I gave some natural recommendations on how to best boost your immune system at this time to prevent the Coronavirus.

Listen here.

Reflecting Back On A Decade

It was a BIG decade for me! I didn’t realize so many big things happened!

In 2010, I finally overcame my debilitating chronic illness. After fifteen years struggling, I finally realized the root cause and healed myself 100% naturally on my own in one month. I had felt imprisoned by my illness and once I was healthy again I wanted to be free.

In 2011, I moved cross country with no job, no family, no close friends to start a brand new life in San Francisco based on a physical dream I had. An uplifting dream I had one night that inspired me to move. Friends thought I was brave (or crazy) for packing up and starting anew. For me it wasn’t bravery, just something I needed to do.

Are You A High-Vibe Attractor?

Many of us know about the law of attraction; it is a common theme that is talked about in spiritual circles. But many of us become disillusioned after they watch The Secret and "it doesn't work."

Why don't the principles work for some people?

The concepts are easy. 1) Ask 2) Believe and 3) Receive.

1) Clearly state your intention. What is it want to manifest?

2) Believe with all of your heart that you will achieve it. Visualize it. Feel it. Trust.

3) Receive it when it comes, flows to you.

So if it's that easy, why doesn't it work for everyone? Why are some people still struggling to achieve their dreams?

Journaling To Improve Your Mindset

Hi Empaths!

Are you enjoying my Empowerment Challenge? In the first three weeks I taught meditations and creative visualizations to the group. Last week I taught some journaling.

Journaling is a great practice to clear our mind and improve our mindset. In my Group, I suggested three styles of journaling: 1) picking a topic and writing about it (I offered many journal prompts in the group), 2) Julia Cameron's Morning Pages, and 3) audio journals.

Week 3 - 40 Day Empowerment Challenge

Hi Friends!

It is Day 21 of my Free 40 Day Empowerment Challenge! Congratulations, we are half way through the Challenge!!!

Here is a written recap of the meditations from Week 3.

Did you miss the recap from Week One and Week Two? Catch the meditations for Week 1 & 2 HERE.

Health and Wellness, SpiritualityKhristee RichOctober 1, 2018meditations, empowerment, creative visualizations, mindset, healingComment

The DancingHummingbird

The Dancing
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