Tag Archives: inspiration

July 2022 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

Featured Burnout Proof Academy Course

Burnout Proof 101
The first step to taking better care of your precious self | 0.1 GS CEUs

blue sky with clouds and mountains in the background. Green text reads: Burnout Proof 101. Black text reads 0.1 GS CEUs on-demand study. The first step to taking better care of your precious self. with Breana Cross-Caldwell burnout proof academy, online.self-care.ceus. burnoutproof.me/p/burnout-proof-101. Interpretek is an approved RID sponsor for Continuing Education Activities. This General Studies program is offered for 0.1 CEUs at the Little/None Content knowledge level. tag: july 2022 self-care

Interpreters are charged with bearing witness to some of life’s greatest beauty and deepest pain, all while maintaining a stance of neutrality and flexibility. Over time, and especially during times of stress, this can take a toll on your body, mind and spirit.

In order to show up for others and do the work that’s ours to do in the world, we must have a foundation of self-care that sustains us.

During this workshop we’ll explore burnout and its effects on your life. We’ll look at how to make time for yourself, what areas of your life need tending to avoid burnout, and simple ways to celebrate your accomplishments and receive support.

Upon registration, you’ll have access to the recorded workshop where you’ll come away with a doable Burnout Proof plan, more peace and clarity, and a community to support you in taking better care of yourself.

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.1 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access

June 2022 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

What’s Happening at Burnout Proof Academy This Month?

Burnout Proof Book Club: The Gifts of Imperfection 

Recording of the live discussion has been posted!

blue sky with white clouds, black text reads burnout proof book club, gifts of imperfection, 0.75 GS CEUs, tag: june 2022 Self-Care

“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.”

Join us as we read and discuss:

The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown

From the book’s description:
“Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to “dig deep” and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can’t hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.”

All you need to do is:

  • Enroll in the course
  • Purchase and read or listen to The Gifts of Imperfection
  • Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
  • Watch the discussion recording or choose another final reflection project 
  • Receive 0.75 GS RID CEUs!

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.75 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access


Featured Burnout Proof Academy Course

Healthy Boundaries for Interpreters

ID: dark blue fading into light blue canvas background. White text reads: Healthy boundaries for interpreters, 0.2 GS CEU on-demand course, white line, white text continues to read burnout proof academy, online.self-care.ceus. To register: https://www.burnoutproof.me/p/healthy-boundaries-for-interpreters. Interpretek is an approved RID sponsor for Continuing Education Activities. This General Studies program is offered for 0.2 CEUs at the Little/None Content knowledge level.; tag: june 2022 self-care

What are healthy boundaries? What makes setting and maintaining them so hard?

How does this affect our work as interpreters?

Saying “yes” to ourselves requires us to say “no” to someone else. This is the heart of healthy boundaries that many of us struggle with.

Join me to discuss this tricky topic and develop tools to make holding clear, kind, healthy boundaries much easier.

Here’s what you’ll get:

  • 0.2 GS CEUs
  • Connection with other interpreters for support + community
  • A definition of what the heck healthy boundaries are
  • Practice identifying the triggers that make it hard for you to hold healthy boundaries
  • Practice tuning into your guidance system to identify your healthy boundaries
  • Practice communicating your boundaries to others – even if it’s scary

All you need to do:

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.2 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access

May 2022 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

NEW at Burnout Proof Academy This Month

Burnout Proof Book Club: The Gifts of Imperfection

white background with green border and red quotations, black text reads "staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection." -- Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection, @burnoutproofinterpreters; tag: may 2022 self-care

“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.

Join the Burnout Proof Book Club to create community and grow your support system with other wholehearted sign language interpreters as we learn and practice what it means to embrace perfection.

The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown

From the book’s description:
“Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to “dig deep” and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can’t hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.”

Group of women sitting close together on stairs, smiling at each other. Front row: white woman with long blonde hair wearing a black short sleeve shirt sitting beside woman with long black curly hair, brown skin, wearing a blue jean jacket. Second row: woman with long black hair, brown skin, wearing long sleeve black shirt looking at woman with platinum blonde hair, brown skin, glasses and white shirt. Third row: white woman with long blonde hair wearing white shirt and blue jean jacket smiling and looking at woman with long black hair, brown skin, wearing black shirt. Image Credit: Joel Muniz; tag: may 2022 self-care

All you need to do is:

  • Enroll in the course
  • Purchase and read or listen to The Gifts of Imperfection
  • Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
  • Attend the live Zoom discussion, watch the recording, or choose another final reflection project 
  • Receive 0.75 GS RID CEUs!

Don’t miss the upcoming Live Discussion, happening May 18, 2022 from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm pacific. Put it on your calendar now!

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.75 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access

April 2022 Self-Care CEUs at Burnout Proof Academy

NEW at Burnout Proof Academy This Month

Burnout Proof Book Club: The Gifts of Imperfection 

blue sky with white clouds, black text reads burnout proof book club, gifts of imperfection, 0.75 GS CEUs, tag: April 2022 Self-Care

Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.

Join the Burnout Proof Book Club to create community and grow your support system with other wholehearted sign language interpreters as we learn and practice what it means to embrace perfection.

The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown

From the book’s description:
“Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to “dig deep” and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can’t hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.”

All you need to do is:

  • Enroll in the course
  • Purchase and read or listen to The Gifts of Imperfection
  • Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
  • Attend the live Zoom discussion, watch the recording, or choose another final reflection project
  • Receive 0.75 GS RID CEUs!

Don’t miss the upcoming Live Discussion, happening May 18, 2022 from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm pacific. Put it on your calendar now!

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.75 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access

the gifts of imperfection book club promotional flier by burnout proof academy, tag: april 2022 self-care

Interpreter Self-Care Spotlight: Master Your Habits with Shanna Grossinger

white background with a white woman with brown curly hair wearing a tan shirt in a black photo frame with green magnolia leaves, burnout proof collective logo in the bottom right corner, black text reads: Interpreter self-care spotlight: master your habits with shanna grossinger of aslmentors.com, watch the recording: Burnout Proof Collective facebook.com/groups/burnoutproofcollective; tag: april 2022 self-care

Our lives are made up of habits! Over time these daily actions put us on a trajectory – but do they help us get where we want to go?

Watch Shanna Grossinger of ASL Mentors as she shares the gems from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. 

This livestream was in ASL and free to all interpreters.

Watch the live recording here


Featured Burnout Proof Academy Course

Self-Care for Stressful Times

black and lavender background with the saturday school logo and pink and white text that reads self-care for stressful times 0.2 gs ceus, tag: april 2022 self-care

Interpreting in times of stress is not business as usual. 

Worry and uncertainty make for more charged interpreting situations and personal lives, and can trigger reactions that aren’t always aligned with our values.

This workshop will teach tools from the Learning Zone Model, mindful awareness, and neuroscience to better work with our brains during times of stress.

We’ll create a triage-care practice to provide daily maintenance through stressful times while building empathy, emotional regulation, and resilience.

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.2 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access

February 2022 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

NEW at Burnout Proof Academy This Month

Self-Care Spotlight: Neck & Shoulder Relief with Jen Kagan
Feb 19th, 2022 10:00 am pacific

white background with a white woman with gray hair wearing a black shirt and black pants performing a yoga pose, burnout proof collective logo in the top right corner, light blue text bubble reads: Interpreter self-care spotlight: Neck and Shoulder Relief with Jen Kagan. Black text underneath the text bubble reads: When: Saturday, Feb 19th, 2022 10 am pacific/1 pm Eastern, Where: Burnout Proof Collective facebook.com/groups/burnoutproofcollective, tag: February 2022 Self-Care

Join us in the Burnout Proof Collective to learn from the wise Jen Kagan. Jen’s a sign language interpreter, yoga therapist and yoga teacher who specializes in helping sign language interpreters get out of pain and establish a long healthy career. She’ll be walking us through a quick way to relieve neck pain and improve posture, and answering all our questions live!

Broadcast in English, with English captions to come afterward.

Join the Burnout Proof Collective Facebook group now so you don’t miss it! 

Click here to join Facebook group


Featured Burnout Proof Academy Course

Make Time for You: 7-Day Self-Care Reset 

blue sky with pink and orange sunset, text reads make time for you, a 7 day self-care reset for sign language interpreters burnout proof academy online. self-care. ceus. burnoutproof.me/p/make-time-for-you interpretek logo and disclaimer, rid and acet logo, tag: February 2022 Self-Care

We’re dealing with more change and uncertainty today than ever before, and it’s stressing us out. This 7-day self-care reset will help you make meaningful time for yourself so you can start feeling more resourced, less stressed, and more like yourself again. Through this self-paced online course you’ll discover how to build new habits, what’s getting in the way of your self-care, what brings you joy, and how to care for yourself even when things don’t go as planned.

If you’re ready to make time for YOU, join me for a week of support and connection in this self-care reset.

Here’s what you’ll get:

  • 0.3 GS RID CEUs
  • A daily intentional self-care practice
  • Connection with other interpreters for support + community
  • Clarity on what brings you joy and what holds you back from experiencing more of it
  • Support for coming back to your self-care habit whenever you lose your way

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 0.3 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access

“Self care?! I don’t know where to start!”

Do you believe you can have the self-care that you want?

When it comes to self-care, have you thought: 

I don’t have the time.
I feel guilty for focusing on myself.
I don’t even know where to start. 

It can be overwhelming to imagine making any big changes. Especially right now, in this transitional phase between the isolation of the pandemic and resuming some in-person activities. 

The pandemic and all the emotions that have come with it are still very much with us and yet things are changing. 

You’re making new decisions. You’re getting more social invitations. You’re deciding how much energy you have. When do you need to start saying ‘no’ to people again? (We haven’t had to exercise our ‘no’ muscle in a while!) 

The one thing you can do right now

Here’s one simple thing to help move you forward a little bit. One thing to do if you feel stuck, not knowing what to do next. 

Start where you are. 

Ask yourself: 

  • Where am I now? 
  • How am I doing now? 
  • What am I experiencing? 
  • What’s alive in me right now? 

Take the quiz

Burnout Proof Academy logo. "How Burnout Proof are you?". Tall evergreens with sun shining through.

This fun, short quiz helps you take stock of the areas where you may or may not be:

💞 showing up for yourself
💞 giving away your energy
💞 aligning with your life goals and values

…and come away with an idea of where you’re at.

The place to start is always exactly where you’re at. 

The next step

Once you’ve gone through the quiz, take a look at your result.  

Are you up in flames? Is the check engine light on? 🔥
Are you feeling great? Are your systems and your routines supporting you? 🥳
How do you feel about your result? What does it feel like in your body? 

😞 Disappointment
😢 Sadness
😡 Anger
😄 Excitement
🥰 Pride

Take a moment now to check in with where you’re at and how you feel about it. This might be uncomfortable! That’s ok.

Feeling the discomfort, naming what you’re feeling, breathing through it, and doing the next right thing is building your nervous system’s capacity! You’re doing great.

brown skinned young woman with black curly hair looking up in the sky with her eyes closed with a black background; tag: burnout quiz

Photo by Diana Simumpande

 When you’re done

Head on over to our private Facebook group to share your score with us and let us know how this was for you

What’s Happening at Burnout Proof Academy

It’s been a fairly quiet summer here at Burnout Proof Academy, but we have an exciting book club going right now that you can still jump in on!

red, dark purple, and light purple swirled background with a transparent white rectangle in the middle, black text on top of rectangle reads burnout proof book club untamed; tag: burnout quiz

Who were you, before you learned to be good?

Speaking directly to anyone who relates to putting others’ needs and feelings before your own, Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, reconnects us to the wild inside each of us.

Join Burnout Proof Book Club as we read Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Come create community and grow your support system as you learn and practice what it means for you to quit pleasing and start living.

All you need to do:

  • Enroll in the course
  • Purchase and read or listen to UNTAMED
  • Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
  • Participate in the Live Discussions or watch the recordings
  • Receive 1.1 GS RID CEUs!

 Click here for more info + instant access

With love and bright focus, Brea (like the sea)

September 2021 Self-Care Workshops

Fall is an exciting time at Burnout Proof Academy!

We’ve been working on a new way to earn CEUs while getting burnout support and building community, and it will be available first exclusively to members of our Facebook group and email list.

Don’t miss out!! 

Join The Burnout Proof Collective private Facebook group here 


September 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

Untamed – Burnout Proof Book Club 

red, dark purple, and light purple swirled background with a transparent white rectangle in the middle, black text on top of rectangle reads burnout proof book club untamed; tag: september 2021 self-care

Who were you, before you learned to be good?

Speaking directly to anyone who relates to putting others’ needs and feelings before your own, Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, reconnects us to the wild inside each of us.

Join Burnout Proof Book Club as we read Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Come create community and grow your support system as you learn and practice what it means for you to quit pleasing and start living.

All you need to do:

  • Enroll in the course
  • Purchase and read or listen to UNTAMED
  • Answer discussion questions for each section of the book
  • Participate in the Live Discussions or watch the recordings
  • Receive 1.1 GS RID CEUs!

Our first Live Discussion was held in ASL and focused on getting to know each other and discussing the prologue and part 1 of the book.

The hour was packed with poignant honesty and real-time revelations, including real talk about:

  • Our untamed selves (with pictures!) – who we are when we don’t care what others think
  • Why the term ‘people-pleasing’ might be just another way to beat ourselves up
  • The movie Frozen, and how our most powerful gifts can hurt us when we don’t know how to harness them for good
  • What we lost when we learned to please others over pleasing ourselves
  • Our own ‘snow globes’ – the ways we make ‘snow flurries’ to keep from acknowledging the dragon at our center

When you register, you’ll get instant access to the recording and all the info to prepare for the second Live Discussion happening September 29th, 2021 from 5 – 6 pm pacific.

This is an on-demand, self-paced course worth 1.1 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered, just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access


I can’t wait to spend time with you this month!!

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea

August 2021 Oil Protocol and Self-Care Workshops

 

August 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

Burnout Proof Book Club – Encore Live Discussion
Aug 11th, 2021 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific

light pink, dark pink and dark yellow stripe background, burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle, tag: august 2021 self-careWe had such an amazing time in our first Book Club live discussion! We dove deep into Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.

If you are reading along with us but were unable to make the first live discussion, here’s another opportunity!

 

 

Join the live discussion to real-talk about:

  • The ‘yuck’ that’s leftover after handling a problem.
  • How holding everything in and doing for everybody else keeps us up late at night.
  • The shame we feel from HAVING emotions.
  • Taking up a hugging practice.
  • The struggle of saying what we need or how we feel.
  • The inbox in our gut where we store our uncompleted stress.
  • That it’s ok not to be ok.

This is an on-demand, self-paced book club offering worth 1.3 GS CEUs, with a Live Discussion opportunity. Click below to register and get instant access to everything!

Don’t miss the upcoming Live Discussion, happening August 11th 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm pacific. Put it on your calendar now!

Click here for instant access


Connect & Shine | August 2021 Oil Protocol

Summer is the peak of the harvest – bringing fullness of life and emotions. 

If you’re feeling energetic and expansive, this protocol can support you in enjoying your people and expressing yourself. 

This season can also bring up grief and sorrow. If you’re feeling it, this protocol can help you to remember you’re not alone, to connect with your body’s wisdom, and to express your emotions.

blue sky backgournd with white rays of sun shining in the upper left corner of image with green and white hearts; red and dark green text reads connect + shine august 2021 oil protocol cedarwood | lower belly, grapefruit | solar plexus, spearmint | heart to throat, @brighterfocus, Tag: august 2021 self care

As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:

  • Inhale the fragrance of each oil separately, and the combinations
  • Feel your own touch as you apply them to your body lovingly
  • See the colors of the bottles and the amber drops of liquid
  • Set intentions with each oil application, grounding yourself in what you know to be true

Invite the properties of each oil to inspire your intentions:

  • Cedarwood – You are not alone. Identify the supportive people who love you unconditionally. 
  • Grapefruit – Develop awareness of your body and its important messages. 
  • Spearmint – Express yourself with confidence and clarity.

Safety + Efficacy

  • Dilute essential oils with a carrier oil for increased efficacy and decreased skin sensitivity.
  • Citrus oils like Grapefruit can produce photosensitive reactions. Use on skin covered by clothing if you’ll be in the sun.
  • Some oils are hot or ‘spicy’ to the skin, including cassia, oregano, thyme, peppermint, and spearmint. Dilute to decrease this sensation.

May the energy of this season work in and through you. May you enjoy the fruits of your labor and much needed rest. May you know the love that surrounds you, may you connect to your source and to others who help you remember your worth.

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea

July 2021 Self-Care Workshops

A backyard pool with 2 people in it. on left, a white young teen boy with a green pool floatie around his neck and his eyes closed. on the right, a white woman with a grey hat, orange and blue bathing suit, lying on a purple pool floatie, smiling. Tag: july 2021 self-care

Happy Summer!

So many cities across the country are already getting intense heat. 

Here in Portland temps are in the record-breaking triple digits. We got our pool set up and AC units in the windows (houses in Portland don’t usually come with AC), and we’re eating lots of cold fruit and salad.

I hope you’re finding ways to stay cool and safe!

 


July 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

Healing Interpreter Burnout: Complete Your Stress Cycle

Image description: background image is a teal underwater shot. White text reads, "Growth requires that we step out of our comfort zone and spend time with the discomfort of change, uncertainty, getting it wrong, and trying again" -Brea Cross-Caldwell, VIEWS August 2020. Tag: july 2021 self-care

Image: The Insightful Interpreter

Are you feeling exhausted?

Burnout and emotional exhaustion can have negative impacts on your health, relationships, and work.

It can be hard to know how to rescue yourself, let alone find the energy to take positive steps.

Good news! You don’t have to live like this. A long, fulfilling career is within your grasp. This course can help.

You will explore:

  • Your stress cycle: what it is, how to complete it, and how it affects you when you don’t
  • Techniques for self-regulation that you can use during your work day
  • How to form and integrate new, healthy habits to help heal and prevent burnout

0.35 GS CEUs through The Insightful Interpreter, processed by Interpretek

Healing Burnout Group Study Guide

Get 0.2 additional CEUs for gathering your friends and discussing what you learned in the Healing Interpreter Burnout course.

If you like to learn and grow within community, we have a treat for you! The Group Study option is scheduled to be available for the Healing Interpreter Burnout course through The Insightful Interpreter, the week of July 6th, 2021!

 


Support for Insecurity and Self-Doubt 

light blue background with yellow squares and lines and a dark green rectangle at the bottom with a picture of white woman with curly dark blonde hair wearing glasses and a green plaid shirt unbuttoned over a black shirt, Dark green text on image: Recording posted, Sign Language interpreter imposter syndrome? Close the gap in confidence, skills + self-analysis with shanna grossinger founder of aslmentors.com in asl, facebook/com/groups/burnoutproofcollective/ Tag: july 2021 self-care

Close the Gap in Confidence, Skills, and Self-Analysis for Sign Language Interpreters with a Deaf Mentor

Did you miss the Facebook Live with Shanna Grossinger in our Burnout Proof Collective Facebook group?

Good news: the recording is posted!

Click here to watch now

 


Burnout Proof Book Club – Encore Live Discussion
Aug 11th, 2021 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific

light pink, dark pink and dark yellow stripe background, burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle, tag: july 2021 self-care
We had such an amazing time in our first Book Club live discussion! We dove deep into Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.

If you are reading along with us but were unable to make the live discussion, here’s another opportunity!

Join the live discussion to real-talk about:

  • The ‘yuck’ that’s leftover after handling a problem.
  • How holding everything in and doing for everybody else keeps us up late at night.
  • The shame we feel from HAVING emotions.
  • Taking up a hugging practice
  • The struggle of saying what we need or how we feel.
  • The inbox in our gut where we store our uncompleted stress.
  • That it’s ok not to be ok.

This is an on-demand, self-paced book club offering worth 1.3 GS CEUs, with a Live Discussion opportunity. Click below to register and get instant access to everything!

Don’t miss the upcoming Live Discussion, happening August 11th 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm pacific. Put it on your calendar now!

Click here for instant access

 


The book club survey results are in!!

Text reads: Book Club Survey Results. Image: Arms reaching up holding books. Tag: july 2021 self-care

Book Club courses will return in the Fall with some great picks. We learned many helpful things from this survey, thanks to all who participated!

A few key takeaways:

  • Wednesday evenings were a clear winner
  • Imposter syndrome was requested as a topic for reading, and I’m happy to say just about every one of these books will support us there!

And the winner is…..

UNTAMED, by Glennon Doyle
Live Discussions September 1st & 29th, 2021

Left image: multicolored glittered background Untamed, Glennon Doyle. Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Love Warrior. Right image: photo of Glennon, a white woman with blondish brown hair past her shoulders, a white tank top, leaning forward clasping her hands together. Tag: july 2021 self-care

We’ll be trying out a new format, meeting once to kick off this new read – getting to know each other and discuss first impressions of the book – and then again at the end of the month to discuss the rest of the book, share takeaways, and connect more deeply with each other.

Thanks to those who suggested this new format! I’m looking forward to meeting with you twice!

Get on our email list to be the first to know when registration opens

 

You selected the remaining books from the survey + your additions in this order:

Second Place Tie
The Body is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love, by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene Brown book cover for The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love. A Black woman lying on a bed of red, yellow, and blue flowers, appears to be nude with blue flowers over her nipples and on her leg.

Third Place
Codependent No More, by Melody Beatty

Fourth Place Tie
Hope in the Dark
My Grandmother’s Hands

Watch for these book club offerings Fall of 2021 and Winter of 2022!


Recalibrate | July 2021 Oil Protocol

This is a time of taking stock and opening to recalibration. Be with yourself in the discomfort.

Locate the gaps between where you are and where you want to be. This requires getting radically honest with yourself about your current experience.

Can you allow it?
Can you name every nuance of it?
And even more, can you feel it and stay with it as long as it wants to move in you – without inflating or stoking the flames?

Apply this protocol and then follow your body as it wants to move: dancing, crying, resting, or punching pillows.

Allow what’s alive in you to be honored and expressed, and allow it to subside when it’s over.

Green background, grey and yellow lettering. Text reads: July 2021 Oil Protocol. recalibrate. In yellow boxes with blue accents: melaleuca > third eye. cypress > belly. cardamom > navel. tangerine > heart + wrists. @brighterfocus. Tag: july 2021 self-care

As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:

  • Inhale the fragrance of each oil separately, and the combinations
  • Feel your own touch as you apply them to your body lovingly
  • See the colors of the bottles and the amber drops of liquid
  • Set intentions with each oil application, grounding yourself in what you know to be true

Invite the properties of each oil to inspire your intentions:

  • Melaleuca – between eyebrows – tune into your energetic boundaries and seal the leaks.
  • Cypress – rub on belly in a circular motion – encourage movement and flow throughout your core.
  • Cardamom – inside navel – allow deeper emotions to surface and be attended to.
  • Tangerine – heart + inside wrist creases – activate creative energy to process and move with your emotions.

Safety + Efficacy

  • Dilute essential oils with a carrier oil for increased efficacy and decreased skin sensitivity.
  • Citrus oils can produce photosensitive reactions. Use on skin covered by clothing if you’ll be in the sun.
  • Some oils are hot or ‘spicy’ to the skin, including cassia, oregano, thyme, and peppermint. Dilute to decrease this sensation.

Oil properties inspired by Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing and the teaching of Desiree Mangandog.

Seasonal, astrological, energetic information inspired by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener of Modern Women.


May the fullness of this new season bring abundance to your life. May you recognize it. May you receive it. May you listen deeply to its gifts.

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea. Tag: july 2021 self-care

What Others Think of You is None of Your Business

Think of a situation where you worry about what others might be thinking of you. 

So many of us experience this. This is a big one for me – really caring about how others see me and caring about others’ experience of me. Often that takes me outside of what’s actually mine to control, what’s really my responsibility. 

So you’re worried about what others might be thinking of you. What kind of situations does this happen to you in? Maybe in some places in our lives we’re more susceptible to being worried about what someone else thinks of us. Maybe in some situations we’re less concerned about that and we feel clearer within ourselves.

Something to notice in these situations where we’re concerned about what someone else thinks of us is first we don’t get to control what others think. We’re never in their minds, even if we can play a part that might influence them one way or another. We don’t control what others think of us. 

I love a saying that I hear often and I repeat to myself often – what others think of me is none of my business. 

That’s not our business, what others think of us. 

What is more helpful and the reminder I want to share with all of us today is that I am responsible for what I think of me. What I think of myself is what matters more. 

✔Am I living up to my values?
✔Am I operating in a way that really aligns with how I want to show up in the world? 

That’s what I have control over. That’s what I can do something about. That’s the metric I want to measure and I want to live my life by. 

Whose Yard Are You In?

fenced in yard with yellow flowers and green grass with lambs laying on the ground; Tag: what others think of you

Photo by Jalen Hueser

There are two kinds of yards:

My yard >> My thoughts, my feelings, my actions, my words. 

These are all things that are mine. These are the things that live in my yard, that are in my domain. These are the things that I’m responsible for. 

Someone else’s yard >> Their thoughts, their feelings, their actions, their words. 

I can care about someone else deeply, but I can only do it from my yard. If I go over into their yard and worry about:

❌What they’re thinking about me
❌What they’re feeling
❌What they’re doing
❌What they’re saying 

Then that means I have abandoned my yard. I’ve abandoned myself. I’ve abandoned my responsibilities. I’m not taking care of me or what I need to be taking care of because I’m over there trying to take care of what they should be taking care of.  

If you find yourself in someone else’s yard, don’t worry! All you have to do is go back to your yard and remind yourself, “I’m responsible for what I think of me. What do I think of me?” 

TIP: Those thoughts we’re talking about, “what I think of me…” those are thoughts, those are like clouds that pass through our mind. We’re not even really in control of our thoughts! Thoughts come and go. They’re projections of the mind and the brain. What I’m more responsible for, if we want to get really nuanced here with our language, I’m responsible for those thoughts that I attach to, those thoughts that I believe. 

I love the sign for believe. Think – marry. 

A belief is a thought that I marry, that I attach to. I choose to bring this thought into my world. 

I get to choose what thoughts I attach to, what I believe, what I believe about myself. That’s mine to manage, that’s mine to take care of. 

brown skinned woman standing near a pink flower tree smiling with her eyes closed, Tag: what others think of you

Photo by James Resly

Final Thoughts

A reminder as you move through your days and weeks (or even just this moment):

Pay attention to what the thoughts are in your mind. Where are you worried about what someone else is thinking of you? Come back to your own yard and ask yourself these questions:

🌱What am I responsible for in this moment?
🌱What do I think of me?
🌱What am I thinking of me right now?

This is a mindfulness practice. This is just noticing where our thoughts go and gently bringing us back to our center. That’s what meditation can be. That’s what any kind of mindfulness practice can be. 

Paying attention on purpose to the present moment without judgment

Sometimes our judgments of ourselves are what we’ll really notice here. When I come back to the present moment and I pay attention to what my thoughts are, I notice — “Oh there’s a lot of judgment against myself right there.” 

Can I let that be here too? Can I come back to a place of love for myself even with my human brain that wants to judge? Because that’s what our brains do. 

Click here to participate in the discussion and let us know in the comments:

Where does this show up for you?
What is challenging about this for you?
What have you found helps you come back to responsibility for yourself and noticing what you think of yourself and really caring for that relationship that you have with yourself? 


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blue background, yellow heart, text reads: Burnout Proof Collective. Image: 2 people with arms linked, smiling at the camera, the one on the left has brown skin, short bleached hair, glasses, and a black leather biker jacket, the one on the right is white with long blonde hair walking in front of a group of smiling people of varying skin tones. Tag: what others think of you