“The only thing I have done religiously in my life is keep a journal, I have hundreds of them, filled with feathers, flowers, photographs, and words – without locks, open on my shelves." 

Terry Tempest Williams

1. Get creative 

This is Kate and me on safari in Africa, having fun with our journals!

Fill your journals with stickers, use colorful pens, paint in your journal… nothing is off limits. Let your creativity take over, be playful and have fun.

2. Use images from magazines

Cut out images that speak to you. Imagine that a picture of a young child is your younger self and you “talk” to this part in your journal… it can lead to great insight.

3. Choose your favorite quotes

"I believe, every day, you should have at least one exquisite moment."

Audrey Hepburn

Maybe they are quotes from your favourite people or maybe they are around a theme, like forgiveness or confidence, or issues that are important to you. 

We all know how important sleep is for our health. When we're anxious and busy, it can be very hard to fall asleep at night. This week's audio guide will help you relax and get to sleep. So get comfy and enjoy...

This is the third audio guide in a series that I have designed to support you through this challenging time. Listen to my first podcast on reducing stress.

Please sign up to my mailing list below to stay connected. 

“Who writes journals? Women who live deeply and reflectively, who regard lives as modern mythic quests and spiritual journeys, women who want to find their own voices and write their own lives.”

Marlene Schiwy, A Voice of Her Own

Journaling isn't like keeping a diary

Many people think that a journal is a diary. This is what I thought many years ago.

But a journal is so much more than keeping track of your daily events.

A journal is a conversation with yourself… your true self.  

Journaling is a time to focus on what you love, what you hate, what you fear, what you long for.

It’s a way of knowing yourself on a deep level.

An answer to feeling unstructured and directionless

With everything that’s happening in this unpredictable and scary world, now is the best time to keep a journal to help you deal with your emotions and thoughts.

For many, you are on a sort of ‘pause’ with many activities cancelled or on hiatus during the...

Taking time for yourself with my online retreat could lead to the greatest transformation you'll ever have

During this unprecedented time, you will be under more pressure. 

You might be stuck at home with the Covid-19 restrictions, and having to deal with being around your family 24/7.

You might be trying to juggle work and family.

You might be a caregiver, responsible for your children or your parents.

You might be facing uncertainties in your career or future. 

You might be alone struggling to find ways to deal with loneliness and how to connect with others.

Either way, you're dealing with more pressure which is creating more stress and anxiety.

This makes it even harder to solve problems, be patient with your loved ones, and concentrate at work. It makes it harder for you to stop and listen to what it is you need and want right now.

This is where I can help.

My online retreat for women is designed to give you the structure,...

This week I guide you through an exercise that grounds you to the earth and helps focus your energy back inwards, to restore balance and calm. 

This is the second audio guide in a series that I have designed to support you through this challenging time. Listen to my first podcast on reducing stress.

I always welcome your thoughts, experiences and feedback, so please sign up (below) to my mailing list to stay connected. 

If you missed Part 1 of our adventures, you can read it here.

Back in Auckland and the country moves into lockdown

On Tuesday 24 March we landed in Auckland from Christchurch, a bit harried and very grateful. But our flight back to San Francisco wasn't for another five days, and New Zealand was preparing for total lockdown.

It was an hour by hour world we were in and no one seemed to know what would happen next.

Would planes fly? The response from everyone we spoke to was that no planes would fly in or out once the country was in lockdown, within the next 48 hours.   

We decided to go directly to the Air New Zealand counter and see if we could change our reservations to an earlier flight - maybe we could even get a flight out that night. (As stressed as we had been, it didn’t deter Thom from taking pictures.)

We had another surprise as we approached the international terminal. There was a long line at the...

Welcome to my first podcast in a series where I will be looking at ways in which you can restore some structure into your daily routine, find calm and reduce stress during this particularly difficult period. 

This week, I guide you through a self-visualization that will help you to solve problems and deal with anxiety more effectively. 

I always welcome your thoughts, experiences and feedback, so please drop me a line at [email protected]

It was February 25, just a week before we were to leave for Fiji, the trip to celebrate my turning 70, when my husband, Thom, said to me. 

“You know, Jo, this is dangerous and a silly thing to go on this trip. But I’m choosing to do it anyway.” I said, I know. I’m choosing as well. 

I had planned my dream birthday trip for a year. My request to my sons was this:

 “The only gift I want for my birthday is for all my grandchildren to be together and you guys, of course.” They said, “okay, Mom, let’s do it.” 

Just weeks before we left, COVID 19 made its ugly entrance into the world.

We knew it was risky. We tried to console ourselves by saying there’s not that many cases of corona. 

How could we know that we would be caught in another country as they closed their borders? And how could we know that we'd use all our resources to overcome some tough times?

Having the best birthday of your life on a...

 Africa was completely and utterly fabulous. It was the trip of a lifetime and I wouldn’t change a thing. I could write a book about my two-week experience on safari in Tanzania.

It was AMAZING.

Get a load of these pics!

At times it was surreal. Deep, wild, emotional. Being this close to animals in their natural habitat was beyond anything else I've done in my life. 

I came home from Africa with stars in my eyes, refreshed, and alert even after a 41-hour trip home.

I left again after two weeks.

First to Manitou Springs, Colorado, to be in a circle of 13 women from all over the country… the Green Women’s Leadership retreat.

We came together with our hearts wide open to learn about the climate crisis and how each one of us can make a difference. We talked, we cried, we connected and we realized just how desperate things are in the world. We each made a commitment to our own self-care so that we can be up for making...

This video was made while my good friend and mentor, Helene Van Manen, and I were camping last fall. We often have discussions like this one about life and how to live it the best way.  Keep in mind that we had been camping for 5 days without showering and barely combing our hair!

Learn more about Helene here.

Today, I'll be leaving on an adventure that I’ve dreamed of for years.

 I’m going on safari in Africa.

 As I write this, I’m pinching myself and realizing that in a few days I’ll be seeing elephants, tigers, giraffes and other animals in their natural habitat in Tanzania.

Last November a very dear friend of mine passed away from cancer. She was a healthy, vibrant 62 year old. After her death, I made a pledge to myself and to her that I would not wait to do the things that I want to do.

I’m not wealthy. But I found a way to do this safari.  I choose not to wait to follow my dreams.

When you listen to the video my friend ...