NEWSLETTER
March 2025

A few weeks ago I had a JOY SCHOOL call where folks submitted some really incredible questions. I always get great questions but this one question has stuck with me. Gotten under my skin.

Every time I read it, I feel some prickling behind my eyes. So today I want to share the question with you and my answer to it. But what I’d really love is for you to mull the question over and share your thoughts with me too.

Here’s the question: I did something really bad many years ago. I have apologized. I feel like I’ve paid the price. But, deep down, I can’t seem to forgive myself. I feel like whenever I am happy or feel joy, I don’t deserve it.

I think it’s the way the author started the question: I did something really bad…It just hits me because I don’t know a human alive who hasn’t felt deep regret over something she did or didn’t do. Yes, I know there are big and small ways for us to screw up. But, even a few careless words can haunt someone for a very long time. And I’ve not always been careful with words – I know I’ve hurt people.

Forgiveness is a tricky thing. Intellectually we know that forgiveness is the ticket to freedom. To just let it go. But it’s hard. It’s hard to forgive others, and it’s really hard to forgive ourselves.

Especially when a small part of us doesn’t actually believe we deserve forgiveness. That’s the crux. I think, for some things, deep down we don’t really believe we are worthy of forgiveness or the freedom that forgiveness provides.

I don’t have all the answers for this one. Well, or for anything else for that matter. But here are a few thoughts that I shared on the call:

First, we are human. All of us. Again, I realize there are different gradations of ‘mistakes’ or ‘missteps,’ but the reality is we are all just muddling through. Trying to do the right thing most of the time and not always succeeding. There is no human alive who is infallible. At some point we have to accept that we are simply not perfect beings. But we can learn from our mistakes and endeavor to do things differently going forward. And that’s all we can do: practice. We simply cannot change the past.

Second, many of us say we are non-judgmental. But, we pass judgment all the time -– mostly on ourselves. Truly living in a place of non-judgment and compassion is not natural for most of us. It takes being very aware and it takes lots of practice. It truly is like working a muscle. But, if we can practice non-judgment with others, it becomes much easier to give ourselves grace too.

Finally, big emotions like guilt and shame -- they reside at a deeper place than our cognitive thinking mind. They become a physical part of us. Held deep within us. So, body work — like massage or reiki can help unlock some of the emotions that we can’t ‘think our way out of.’

This question has stayed with me. I had coffee with my friend Emily, and I mentioned the question to her and she said, "We are not defined by our worst moments. That’s not who we are. We are made up of all our life experiences. All the moments." Including the good ones. I liked that too -– thanks, Emily. You’re a good egg.

I’m sure if I thought about this question for the next month, I’d have a ten-page essay to share with you. But maybe that’s too much. Too much thinking and stewing. Processing. I think I’ve barely scratched the surface with this question, and I’m going to let it be. Give myself grace. Not judge it -– see I'm practicing.

If you have some thoughts about this question and you feel comfortable sharing them with me, you can reply to this email.💗

'How to be More Tree' by Liz Marvin

I seem to have some history with trees, plants, leaves. I suppose I should state the obvious: my last name is Bloom! Someone recently asked me if that was my real last name -- it is!

Then there's my childhood go-to stress reliever: when I was a little girl and felt stressed, I’d watch PBS Joy of Painting host-turned-cult-icon, Bob Ross. I watched him all the time. My trees were nowhere near as happy as his but they were content -– let’s say that.

I have a few of my early ‘Bob Ross’ paintings in my house now -– I had a pen name and everything -– Andy loves my pen name. Long before I had logos with leaves, and leaves would make up the cover of my book, my childhood pen name was ‘Leaf.’

So, when my good friend M.J James (author of the brand new book Heal the Hustle -- go check it out!!) told me about this book she found inconspicuously hanging out on a small bookstore shelf, I bought it immediately.

What do I love about it?? It’s small (like me!). I love the texture of the cover – almost a bit rough like bark. The pages are thick and the illustrations are beautiful. Maybe what I love the most is that on the front cover, it doesn’t even name the author, just the illustrator. You have to go further into the book to discover who the author is. Whether that was a decision by the publisher or an act of humility on the author’s part, it struck me.

I won't spoil all of it because it's a fun book to read when you have a few minutes, but here's one tree entry:

Give without expectation: Olive (Tree)

"It seems strange in a way that giving something away can bring us joy, but it's true. There's even research that proves it. The olive tree doesn't need to read it, though, as it has known this for thousands of years. You'd think a tree that lives in dry, hot climates in generally poor soil would be most concerned about looking out for itself. And yet it produces fruit with a higher energy content than any other and can grow them until it's nearly 1,000 years old. This generous tree has been giving away food, medicine and oil to local humans in unforigving climates since Neolithic times."

A Business I LOVE: Jessica's Creative Kitchen

"Small, intentional changes in the kitchen can lead to life-changing results."

~ Jessica Lowenadler Sontag

I was trying to remember how Jessica and I met. You know how your brain sometimes sends you a 'memory' and you think, 'Oh that's where we met.' But sometimes you have to dig a bit further into the brain files -- go a bit further back. I have this amazing memory of going to a local zoo together with Jessica's son Anders and the twins. I think the boys were all five. I remember feeding the birds pineapple. But then I had to pause because my brain found a new file -- Jessica and I actually met at a small gym, that is now closed, eleven years ago. That seems wild that it was so long ago.

A few times we invited some ladies over to her house and I taught yoga. We made 'salads in a jar' at her house -- I remember she was always thinking about food as nourishment. At the time, I was still in the mode of 'good food and bad food' -- there was a judgment attached to food. But for Jessica, food was more than that. It was about creativity, self-expression, nourishment and healing.

During the pandemic, Jessica and another amazing Mexican chef started a pop-up food truck: The Wandering Cantina. You could pull up at a park, grab the best tamales you've ever had, and drive off.

Then a few years passed when life got busy. As it does. And that's OK. Because friends eventually reconnect. And that's a beautiful thing. Jessica and I reconnected last year and I discovered that she wasn't just cooking for others, she was teaching people how to cook. And not just cook anything, cook food that truly nourishes and heals your body.

She's passionate about showing people how food can be a powerful way to improve health and even cut back on medications. Through personalized coaching and fun, hands-on cooking lessons, Jessica helps people make simple, nourishing changes that can lead to big results. Her goal is to inspire confidence in the kitchen and show that taking control of your health doesn’t have to be complicated.

Jessica offers in-person and virtual cooking classes. She also has an incredible monthly newsletter where she shares many of her wonderful recipes. I even got a group of ladies together over the holidays, and we went to her house and all made some nourishing holiday side dishes together. If you are looking to change not just how you eat but how you cook it, and you're not really sure where to start, reach out to Jessica. She will help you begin! Here is the link to sign up for her newsletter. Click the button below to check out her website!!

Check out Jessica's Creative Kitchen here

Is this the year for JOY SCHOOL??

I really put in the GIF above because I was so proud of myself for figuring out how to make a GIF! I am a bit of a luddite -- if it made sense to just mail you letters instead of emailing them, I would!

There are a number of ways to use JOY SCHOOL depending on if you are a 'I love being on a live call' kind of person or a 'I just want to watch on my own time' type. Every two weeks you receive a JOY SCHOOL lesson (you can see what the course looks like above) with an accompanying 'assignment.' These assignments really aren't homework -- just a way to practice the concept discussed in the lesson.

Then there are live calls roughly every 5 weeks. You can hop on live and even submit a question for me to answer in advance or you can just listen to the replay.

I've been overwhelmed with the positive feedback I've received over the last year. I recently got a message that reads: "The Joy School community is authentic and supportive in ways I’ve not experienced before."

If you feel like it's time to begin changing how you think and see your world, then it's the right time to begin JOY SCHOOL.🤍