I have a super special announcement to share with you today... I feel giddy and excited and to be honest, I still cannot believe that this is actually coming together before my second baby boy is joining us in June. 

Today, I am announcing that my brand new group program called Well Mama is live and open for enrollment. 

Well Mama is an easy-to-use, beautifully crafted, 8-week online group program for pregnant women and new moms who want to flourish physically, emotionally, and spiritually in motherhood and in life! 

To tell you the truth: Well Mama is all I have been dreaming about, thinking about, manifesting and desiring to create for the last year and it is finally here :)

Want to know what I have always craved in my life? 

It's not more money, or nicer clothes, or a perfect house with the white fence... 

I crave ease and lightness. 

And, as a working mom who's pregnant with #2, I crave this feeling more than ever. 

I want to talk to you about self-shaming today, because I have worked with women and moms in all kinds of capacities over the years and I know how much self-shaming is going on.

I've seen and heard it all, trust me. 

Women who are trying to conceive and have had a hard time, shame themselves for being "infertile" and often even believe that maybe they don't deserve to be moms.

Women who are currently pregnant and not feeling well or gaining weight quicker than others, shame themselves into feeling "fat, ugly, and tired" (these are not my words).

New moms shame themselves for having a hard time breastfeeding, for having "saggy skin" and not losing the pregnancy weight as quickly as they thought. They shame themselves for being a working mom or being a stay at home mom (we cannot do it right, can we?), being unproductive, being an angry wife, having a baby that isn't a "good sleeper," or feeling like a "hot hormonal mess" (again, not my words).  

Did you know that 30% of the population is suffering from thyroid issues and many of these people don't even know? Plus, did you know that women are vastly more affected than men and that the thyroid massively impacts your fertility, the development of your baby in utero as well as how you feel postpartum? 

This is huge, right? 

Do you know that moment when you look at yourself in the mirror and you're just staring at yourself in complete exhaustion and it's only 7:30am?

You feel like you cannot. take. one. more. step. 

Do. one. more. thing.

Answer. one. more. question.

I had the tremendous pleasure to interview my friend and colleague Jamie Greenwood on one of the toughest topics for pregnant women and new mamas: how to continue to honor your own body while it may not feel so great, while its shape is changing completely (& forever), and while it may feel exhausted from building and then caring for a newborn. 

This interview is so full of information, tips and compassion from two women who are pregnant themselves right now (Jamie is about to give birth to her first and I am half way through my second pregnancy). 

Yes, we're having another baby :)

I am currently in my 20th week, which means that we have officially crossed the half way point and everything with our second SON (yup, looks like we're going to have a house full of rebellious boys) looks healthy and wonderful so far.

The three questions I've been getting the most are these: 

1. Does Felix understand that he's getting a sibling? 

2. Were you trying to get pregnant? 

3. How is your second pregnancy different from your first?

So excited to be featured on MingBodyGreen with a post for all new mamas: 10 Tools New Parents Can Use To Fall Back In Love. 

Why am I writing to you about money today? Aren't we supposed to talk about health, happiness, hormones, fertility, pregnancy, motherhood? 

What's going on?

Here is why: As a women's health & life coach I help my clients create hormonal and emotional harmony so that they can create whatever it is they want.

The concept of fertility, in my definition, reaches far beyond the quality of our eggs, and way into the depth of your existence. Leading a FERTILE LIFE means living a life in physical vibrancy and emotional resilience as well as in happy relationships, equipped with a positive self-image, and leading an empowered, value-based lifestyle.

About 1 week ago, I woke up at 4 am at my father's house in Switzerland. 

I was jet lagged. Felix had just fallen asleep again but I found myself wide awake, lying in the comfort of my family home, staring into darkness, thoughts wandering through different periods of my life, re-living and re-feeling certain experiences in my life.

I oddly find myself grateful for the quiet morning hours I am gifted when traveling abroad and being jet lagged. Somehow they seem like the quietest, most undisturbed times these days. They also always allow for deep reflection and space to feel.  

My thoughts wandered to you and I began to think about what I wish for you in 2017.

What do I wish for YOU -women who have signed up to follow my emails, my blogposts, and, to a much smaller extent, my own journey as a mom, a wife, a woman who dedicates her professional life to coach other women on how to make life richer and on how to intentionally create hormonal and emotional balance in order to become a mom (may the focus be on life before pregnancy, during pregnancy, or after our little loves have arrived).

Most people I've talked are SOOO freaking ready to say goodbye to 2016.

I know that 2016 came with many good things for many of you, but that it has also presented deep challenges. Here are the ones I heard about the most:
- heartbreak
- the election
- unhappiness with your own body
- infertility
- miscarriage
- having a hard time as a new mom
- puzzling health conditions
- financial hardship
- dissatisfactory work/ evil bosses

My husband jokes that my family is the only family he knows who has dessert even after breakfast. And it's true. I grew up in a family that LOVES sugar. They are not much for drinking or fast food, but when the cake is passed, you're expected to say "yes." 

I do believe that I grew up with way too much sugar in my diet (as do so many of us because, frankly, the sugar industry is dominating; not because our parents want to turn us into cookie monsters with hormonal imbalances) and, as a consequence, I carried too much weight in my teens, had emotional meltdowns, and kept reaching for sugary treats as an emotional bandaid whenever I was stressed, angry, sad, or felt lonely. 

Many of the women who are now my clients experience these symptoms way beyond their 20s and well into their 30s, 40s, and beyond: too much weight, feeling emotional and irritable, (ab)using sugar, alcohol, coffee or bread/pasta as an emotional crutch or a quick energy booster, anxiety, PMS, painful and heavy or absent periods, acne, headaches, weak immune systems, sustained inflammation that leads to autoimmune diseases, and (unexplained) infertility... to name a few. 

The other day, after Felix's nanny share and a day of work for me, I quickly buckled him into the stroller and began racing down the street to get a bunch of my christmas shopping done.

I practically sprinted from store to store until I finally realized that I was starving. So I began looking for something healthy, but became so hungry that I finally just ordered a croissant, which I devoured.

Then I took Felix to the playground while checking my watch every few minutes 

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to be interviewed by my good friend and colleague Nicole Jardim and Nat Kringoudis for their podcast called The Period Party. 

It was so much fun to be interviewed by these two on a topic that is very dear to my heart: Emotional Fertility. 

In the podcast we dive deep into exploring what emotional fertility means and why it is such an important component in women's journeys into pregnancy and motherhood. 

I remember when I was preparing for my first pregnancy, I often felt overwhelmed by all the hormone talk and all the things I felt like I should be doing. 

Overwhelm always leads to stuckness and non-action and so I want to lovingly remind you that even just by beginning to familiarize yourself with your hormones, your body and how to ideally prepare yourself and your future baby for an amazing pregnancy, you are doing something so important and so wonderful.

Don't worry if not everything sticks right away.
You don't have to do it all perfectly.
Take it slow.
Incorporate one thing at a time.
Listen to your body.
Create space for nourishment in the form of good rest, nourishing food, and loving company.

Ok, in the last two posts I covered the importance of working on your stress levels and keeping your blood-sugar stable. In today's third (and last) post, I am going to talk to you about the importance of having a healthy microbiome. 

Alright, love, today I am going to share with you the second biggest culprit that is causing hormonal imbalances, including PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, irregular cycles, menstrual headaches, cramps, emotional meltdowns and all sorts of other aches and pains. 

Yes love, I am talking about blood-sugar imbalances. 

Many women start their day by skipping breakfast and grabbing coffee, rushing through a quick lunch without chewing properly, snacking on high-sugar treats (& more coffee) around the office, mindlessly overeating in the evening, and forgetting to take their supplements.

Even if you personally aren't THAT bad, learning how to keep your blood-sugar balanced is key in order to create true hormonal health as well as a positive, clear mind.

This is especially important for women because of how hormonally sensitive our reproductive system is.

In my next three blogposts, I am going to share the 3 most common reason why women have trouble getting (& staying) pregnant. 

The reason I am not just dishing them all out at once is because I want to explain a few things to you in each post and really provide education as well as clear action steps for you. 

I know this is a sensitive issue, but I believe that knowledge is power and as women, we must know and understand our bodies and how we function so that we can create fulfilling lives that work WITH ourselves and not AGAINST our own flow.

Are you making yourself smaller and your life dimmer because your expectations of yourself are so freaking high that joy, ease, and rest simply don't have space?

Are you waiting for that golden moment when you can finally exhale because things are glossy enough and nobody can criticize you?

That, my dear, is what perfectionism is at its core: a deep deep fear of criticism and rejection.

And so, in an effort to not be criticized or rejected, you are criticizing and rejecting yourself first. You are preventing yourself actively from feeling joy, feeling happiness, feeling connected with yourself and the world around you because you are scared that if you show yourself just the way you are, you will not find love, admiration, appreciation, and kinship. 

Today, I'm going to share some honest things with you regarding stress. 

It doesn't matter if I am talking to a life-coaching or a fertility client, 99% of the women I talk with are ambitious, driven women who are ready to work hard, live with passion, and create amazing lives, partnerships, babies, families, and careers. 

Does that sound familiar? 

But here is the thing:

As a by-product of ambition, drive and a pulsating desire for a beautiful life, there is also perfectionism, type-A behavior, anxiety, trouble sleeping, overanalyzing, fear of failure and not doing enough, using coffee to wake up and wine to wind down, and so forth... you get the picture. 

You've probably heard me talk about the importance of goal setting, the power of hopes and manifestation, the emphasis on having high expectations of yourself and those you have a close relationship with.

Don't get me wrong, love, these are all enormously important factors in creating a fulfilling life for yourself. 

You must be clear on what you want, what you desire, what you strive for. 

BUT...