Toronto

11.23.18

The 10 Best Songs of Christmas Music

Today I want to share something that I love so much. Music! Specifically, CHRISTMAS MUSIC.

Music has been my life for so long, and just like anything in life – we’ve had our ups and downs. But that doesn’t mean that anything has changed about how much I love music. Or how much it moves me.

When I was a child I was part of a group of children who got to perform all over our city throughout the year, but ESPECIALLY at Christmas! Which means that I’ve listened to A LOT of Christmas music, and usually from about August through to January 1st. Because of this, I feel like I just HAVE to share my favorite Christmas songs with you! Having listened to so so so many, and so many versions,

throughout the years – I consider myself a connoisseur of Christmas songs.

Here is my top 10 for Christmas songs – including my new favorites and my all time favorites, and some instrumentals!

Angels from the Realms of Glory – The Piano Guys
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Lindsey Stirling
Christmas Canona – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Ave Maria – Celine Dion
Snow – Danny Kaye, Trudy Stevens, Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
Cold December Night – Michael Bublé
Night Divine – Josh Groban
What Are You Doing New Years – Karen Carpenter
Carol of the Bells – David Foster

09.28.18

Following a Dream to Paris – The Long Way

We went to the Louis Vuitton Time Capsule in Toronto to celebrate the anniversary of Louis Vuitton coming to Canada! What I loved about this more than all the beautiful items was the story behind Louis Vuitton’s journey to success. He left his small hometown at 13 years old and set out for Paris. It took him over two years to get there are he worked to earn money and accommodations and then traveled a little farther. Finally making it to Paris and becoming a boxer’s apprentice at age 16. He then opened his own boxing business and then introduced luggage – as they say – the rest is history.

Here is what I love about this. He followed a dream. From that dream he set goals, took action, and created a magnificent legacy. What is most wonderful about the story of Louis Vuitton though, isn’t that he set out to become a famous luggage and handbag designer, but that he followed his dream of going to Paris, and from there found something he was good at and enjoyed and it resulted in a brand with more than a century of history. I believe this occurred because of his passion – that’s what built a legacy that still exists today.

You don’t have to enjoy Louis Vuitton to appreciate his journey and the effort he put into succeeding. There are stories like this from many facets of the world. What I love is when people discover their passion and they pursue it. It creates magic. This story is inspiring because it reminds us that even if we have to walk over 300 miles to achieving what we want, it’s possible.

Anything can be possible with some creativity, imaginative thinking, and the willingness to say “this is what I want” and to then go about doing it!

08.13.18

Life Update August 2018

I took a little break over the end of July and August to focus onget spending time with my family and thinking over what I’ll be working on next!

I now find it crucial to follow my intuition and when I need a break to take one! It helps me write and create the best music, content, and keeps me refreshed! Now, I’m ready to finish the summer strong and head into the fall!

So here’s a little update.

I GOT MARRIED!

It sounds so new to say “husband” but I’m excited to start a fun adventure with my love. We got married on 8/8/18 and I’ll probably share the pictures once I get them back from the photographer!

WRITING NEW MUSIC UPDATE

It’s been a fun time this year already! What with planning a wedding, releasing an album, having a wedding, and now starting to write for a new project!

MY 16-YEAR FRIENDSHIP WITH MY HORSE

My 29 year old thoroughbred crossed the rainbow bridge a few days ago. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a horse, especially one you’ve had so long. He was the perfect horse; beautiful, big, kind, sweet, gentle, and a true gem. He will always be one of the most special horses to me and I will love him always. I know he’s at peace now and I’m glad we got to spend so many wonderful years enjoying each other’s company.

SOMETHING NEW UPDATE

I’ve decided it’s really important to me to make empowering people, especially women, a consistent part of what I do. I want to help them, and all people, find their power, the things they’re passionate about, and to live life to the fullest! I’m not totally sure what that’s going to look like, but I’m working on it!

It’s been a busy summer and now I’m excited to focus on the blog, new music, and empowering through speaking and music! Tell me about your summer!

06.29.18

Kintsugi

I heard about Kintsugi several years ago. I love Kintsugi…and let me tell you why.

I’ve heard people refer to themselves as broken. Which always makes me sad because people are not broken. They may need help, they may have shortcomings, but that’s just imperfect perfection. It does NOT mean you’re broken…it means you’re HUMAN!

I think people call a heart broken when it aches, but it’s actually more like the pain you feel when you really hurt yourself and the pain is so intense it doesn’t register right away. It’s a slow rising brutal ache. But it’s not a break.

Your spirit can’t be broken. It can be changed. You might feel broken. But it’s really kintsugi. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of golden repair. If a bowl breaks it is repaired with a gold filing to bind the pieces back together. This is you. When something “breaks” you your spirit has the magic of kintsugi inside and it can fill you with gold too. Youll be even more than you were before, you have new golden magic sewn into your story.

So you can carry your “broken pieces” around with you cradling them in your arms forevermore or you can let your self love and your spirit do what it does naturally; take your experiences and spin them into gold to add to your being.

The pain is just the opening where the golden light gets in.

06.27.18

Pick Me Up Playlist

Obviously I love music, but I’m fairly particular about what kind of words I want to hear. Which is why I sometimes want a pick me up.

I think the music we listen to really matters, and that we should only be putting good thoughts in our minds! These are some of my favorite songs to listen to when I might need a reminder to keep a positive attitude. What better way to show you what I’m talking about than the share the songs with you! Every one can use a pick me up, especially half way through the work week! So here are 10 songs that I love to listen to to remind me of who I am and what I can do.

I hope it does the same thing for you!

Pick me up playlist

Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
Fight Song – Rachel Platten
All I Do Is Win – DJ Khaled
Legendary – Welshly Arms
Shake It Off – T Swift
Happy – Pharrell Williams
Walking On Sunshine
Good Vibrations – Beach Boys
Don’t You Worry Child – Swedish House Mafia
Shake It Out – Florence and The Machine

06.11.18

Time To Empower

There’s something I’ve been contemplating for the last few months. Empower.

What does being EMPOWERED look like? What does it mean? Last week we all heard the news that Kate Spade took her own life. Then we heard the same news about Anthony Bourdain. These people were professionally SUCCESSFUL and had, what looked from the outside, to be GOOD LIVES. Then we all see the tweets, the instagrams, the notes of concern, consideration, condolence. We have public conversations about being there for people, or watching for the signs.

But then, time SOFTENS the shock, and life dictates that we continue to carry on. Not to be CALLOUS or to show indifference but because that’s what must be done, we must carry on. Whether it’s a school shooting, a suicide, depression, lack of confidence, or something else that makes anyone feel unworthy of their own LOVE AND RESPECT, we try to help each other, but when the pain doesn’t present itself obviously we sometimes miss it.

I’ve DECIDED that I’m not going to feel ineffective against these things any longer. I’m going to actively seek to EMPOWER people to recognize their own worth and potential. I started to feel a SHIFT in this direction recently when working on my EP because I didn’t want to sing songs that would do anything but make people feel WORTHY AND POWERFUL. I wanted to empower people and to lift them up by making them feel and RECOGNIZE they had inner strength.

I have known that place of powerlessness in the past and once I realized those feelings I promised myself from that moment on that I would never let my inner power be anything but UNBRIDLED, CHANNELED, and FREE. So, I’m not sure what this will look like as I move forward, I’m guessing it’s going to be reflected in blogposts, my MUSIC, in interviews, and in other mediums as well. But I know that I am done seeing people suffer needlessly when I can DO SOMETHING, however small, about it. We all have every tool within us to discover SELF love, self POWER, and self HEALING, it just needs to be uncovered.

To be honest, even writing this and before posting it, I was thinking, “WHO AM I to say these things?” But then I realized who am I NOT TO? What if it helps ONE person? Because I’ve been thinking these things for a long time, and it’s time to try and INTENTIONALLY help others with these words. I am not going to let self-doubt hold me back from anything, and you shouldn’t let it hold you back.

Going forward I hope that I can offer you some INSPIRATION and PEACE; to know that I will be here to empower you with words, songs and music, stories, and good vibes that I’m sending to you always.