On Thursday, I recorded the latest episode of The Wisdom Channel®, and it was slightly challenging because I wasn't at my best and was in the middle of a head cold. It’s quite ironic, or even contradictory, that the title included Bring Love to the Body, as I spoke about life-work balance and people-pleasing patterns, and there I was, pleasing, or doing my best to perform properly, as a description of my podcast somewhere states, “new episodes every 2nd and 4th Thursday.” Maybe I’ll change that.
I always do my best to be candid and honest in all my work, so that’s how the show started.
So I began where I needed to begin. With breath. With a hand on the heart. With an invitation to return home to the body.
So many of us move through our days feeling like no matter how much we do, it is never enough. We work, we show up, we give, we perform, and without space between all the tasks, our bodies often scream at us at a certain point. We tell ourselves we will rest later, once the work is done. Yet the work never truly ends, does it?
This is where the difference between working and being productive becomes important.
Working can be relentless. Productive living includes rest.
For many of us, especially those who create or serve publicly, showing up while unwell can be mistaken for professionalism, when it is often another form of people-pleasing.
There could be conditioning many of us carry, especially those raised by hard-working parents, that productivity must be visible to be valid. I grew up hearing the question, “What are you working on?” so often that it became embedded in my nervous system. Even now, long after my father has passed, that question still echoes. It has shaped the way I travel, the way I create, and the way I sometimes override my body’s needs in the name of feeling accomplished.
I can travel somewhere to rest and still return with blog posts, project ideas, and a full to-do list. That realization was humbling.
I’ve also noticed how often we mistake travel for restoration. Even beautiful trips can drain us when we are still managing conversations, expectations, or someone else’s needs. Sometimes we need a vacation from the vacation.
My body did not get sick by accident. It responded to a pattern of unexpressed hurt, redirected through people-pleasing and ignoring my own internal timing. That response became a clear “look at me now, I’m sick again.”
Listening to the body is wisdom.
Many empathic and sensitive bodies are carrying more than usual right now.
I had a few references in the episode. The first was Mary J. Blige’s My Life, an album that defined how to move through depression, loss, grief, and difficult relationships. It was in her vulnerable moments that we could all access our own. That music helped a generation feel seen, or at least helped us recognize we weren’t alone in our deep thoughts and pain. It remains a classic. And while we can honor where we have been, it’s equally important to recognize when it’s time to move forward. Thank you, Mary, for all your subsequent albums. It’s been meaningful to walk alongside that journey.
Another reference was Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life. Based on the principle that everything we experience in the body is connected to our thoughts, she offers insight into why we feel the way we do when our bodies speak to us. She also shares affirmations that help bring positivity and, in a way, recalibrate and soften the thought patterns contributing to illness.
That book has been my “health bible” for more than a decade. We are responsible for our thoughts, and wouldn’t it be empowering to understand which thoughts may be contributing to what we experience in the body?
After talking for about 30 minutes, I began a meditation, guided by my Spirit team. In it, we invited you to work with your Spirit. It’s important that when you work with Spirit, you are working with your own, and no one else’s, nor any other entity. Your Spirit wants to help you.
A phrase to anchor this is:
“My Spirit, and only my Spirit, in full control of this vehicle, get back in your body now.”
“My Spirit, and only my Spirit, in full control of this vehicle, get back in your body now.”
You might feel an anchored sensation in your gut or body.
With transparency, this phrase is a working term informed by Holographic Kinetics, an advanced Aboriginal healing modality founded by Steve Richards. He teaches that by working with your Spirit, anything is possible. And I agree.
After stating the anchoring statement, tell your Spirit what you want. A few examples:
- I want to travel comfortably and easily this year.
- I want to live free from debt for the rest of my life.
- I want my body to remain free from disease and illness for the rest of my life.
- I want to have relationships that are loving, kind, respectful, and fun.
When requests are heartfelt, they align more naturally.
You will still need to follow nudges and inner gut sensations, as your Spirit will guide you in a way that aligns with your path.
Remember, you are responsible for your choices. Thoughts you have on repeat can get created into lived experiences you may not like. So another request could be, “I want to have loving and kind thoughts about myself and others.”
After you’re done, say, “Thank you, Spirit.” As you go through life, you may begin to notice these shifts taking shape before your eyes. When they do, again, “Thank you, Spirit.”
It can feel like a fun game, noticing how many small gifts arrive each day from your Spirit. The more in tune you are, the more you may see, feel, hear, or intuitively know.
Getting back to this episode, I reflected on how this head cold was a direct result of my choices. Accountability, rather than blame, helps us heal faster. Forgiving ourselves and softening self-criticism helps too. I often encourage others to slow down, to rest, and to honor their rhythms. And here I was, needing to take my own advice.
After the meditation, I felt relaxed and allowed my body to fully rest, clear, and reset. That’s why this reflection is being shared a few days later.
The work will always be there.
Your body deserves to be well while you do it.
Choosing space is not about withdrawing from life. It’s about creating enough room inside yourself to feel, to breathe, and to listen. That’s how we bring love to our bodies.
