Sharing my thoughts and review on Darin Olien’s book Superlife and what I learned.

Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I hope you’re having a great day so far. It’s been *slightly* cooler around here lately. Just to the point where the air feels nice and fresh without being too cold. The mornings have been really lovely.

For today’s post, I wanted to share my review and thoughts on Darin Olien’s book, Superlife. Written in Olien’s engaging conversational style, Superlife is a one-of-a-kind comprehensive look at dieting and nutrition, a timeless and essential guide to maintaining the human body and maximizing its potential.

Superlife Book Review

You may know Darin from a couple of places:

1) he was Zac Efron’s knowledgeable sidekick in Down to Earth (which I pretty much spent mentally debating who was more attractive. In the end, I think it’s a tie.)

photo source

2) he’s one of the creators of Shakeology! This is Beachbody’s protein shake, which is packed with superfoods and nutrients. I drank it religiously and loved it for years, but stopped drinking it when I was pregnant with P and never really got back into it. It tastes amazing.

When I saw that Darin had a book, I instantly downloaded it to my Kindle app. I finally had the chance to dive in and finish it, and wow. While a lot of it was info that I already knew from being in the health and wellness space for a while, I still learned a ton. It also was a gentle nudge to get back to some healthy habits that have fallen off

Sharing a lil recap from the year and what I’m working towards in 2025. 

Hi friends! Happy NYE! Any plans tonight? We’re eating Indian food and setting off fireworks in our pajamas. No crazy plans and I’m so glad lol. I’m excited to call it an early night and head out on a family hike in the am!

It’s funny because I thought the last year of the Pilot’s military career would be the LONGEST year of my life. I thought it would be a painfully slow drag to the finish line. The reality is that this year flew.by. I can’t believe that he’s wrapping things up, he changed command, and we’re getting ready for his retirement ceremony at the end of the month. Lots of huge changes ahead.

This year was a year of glorious travel, fun moments with the kids (who are growing up way too dang quickly. Liv will be 13 next week!!!), friend time, events, family time at home, time in nature, and a huge year for my healing journey. I celebrated one year symptom-free last year from eye issues and auotimmune symptoms and feel so thankful to have had a year where I really dialed in my routine and have felt the absolute best I have in years (decades???). I created a free ebook here about my auotimmune journey and things that helped me if you’d like to check it out!

Looking back on 2024 and my goals for 2025

Here’s a recap of some of the big moments from the year:

Personal and travel:

We went to the annual Fighter Wing awards banquet

to San Diego for Jeremy’s 50th!

I finished the CBO protocol!

to Vegas for a blast with friends

dance competition season with Liv,

singing with the symphony

back to San Diego and Disneyland with the fam

Read more

Sharing a review of the Lifewave X39 patches and if I think they’re worth it. 

Hi friends! I hope that your day is going well and that you had a wonderful weekend. I’m looking forward to a hot yoga class today and have a fun NCL meeting tonight.

For today’s post, I wanted to chat about the Lifewave X39 patches. This has easily become one of the best things I’ve added to my wellness routine and I’m so pumped to share it with you. When a friend first told me about the patches, it kind of sounded too good to be true, but like the good guinea pig that I am, I decided to give them a try.

They have 1000000% changed my life.

Here’s more about them and how they work:

Imagine waking up every day with the energy and vitality you had years ago. Picture your body working at its peak, your cells rejuvenated, and inflammation under control. That’s how I feel right now.

I’ve come a long way in my healing journey over the past few years (major eye issues, autoimmune symptoms and positive ANA and anti-dsDNA results, and fully recovering) but was still dealing with a bit of brain fog and low productivity. I just felt burned out and kind of out of it. Adding these patches have been an amazing step in my healing, and I can’t believe how much steady my energy is from when I wake up, until I go to bed. That’s despite working and chasing the kids around to all of their activities!

All of this from a handy lil patch.

LifeWave phototherapy patches combine cutting-edge science with your body’s natural healing power. They can reactivate dormant stem cells, boosting a powerful peptide (GHK-Cu), and resetting over 4,000 genes to their younger, healthier state. These patches deliver impressive results—all without chemicals, drugs, or invasive procedures.

Here’s a bit more about the how and why behind this amazing technology.

What Are LifeWave Patches?

LifeWave patches harness phototherapy—light therapy technology—to stimulate specific biological responses. When placed on the skin, they use your body’s infrared heat to reflect specific wavelengths of light.

This simple process triggers powerful cellular activity:

Stem Cell Activation: Your body’s natural healing and regeneration system kickstarts.

Gene Resetting: Over 4,000 genes recalibrate to a youthful, healthy state.

Peptide Boost: GHK-Cu (a potent peptide) enhances cellular function and protein synthesis.

Read more about how they work here, including videos and testimonials.

Are Lifewave patches a scam?

I thought these were a scam for at least a year. I saw them online and thought they were ridiculous and brushed it off. I thought to myself, “There’s no way you can get this from a patch that doesn’t transmit anything through the skin. These people are crazy.”

One of my good friends has been using them, and I love her and absolutely trust her, so I

Sharing a review of Caraway’s nontoxic bakeware and why I love it so much! You can check out their early Black Friday sale using this link. 

Hi friends! I hope that you’re having an amazing day! I’m here in between client calls and going to take Maisey for a walk before I pick up the cream. I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week! Bring on the holidays, family time, and all of the delicious food 😉

I LOVE cooking, but I have to say that having the right cookware makes it even more enjoyable. We swapped out our pots and pans for nontoxic options years ago, but didn’t replace our bakeware until recently. I’ve been using parchment to avoid aluminum leaching into the food, but our old and sad aluminum pans needed.to.go. I’ve been doing a ton of research, and decided on Caraway – I’ve been blown away by the quality and the materials.

The best nontoxic bakeware

Why Choosing Nontoxic Bakeware Matters

Swapping traditional bakeware for nontoxic options can be a solid move for health and the environment.

Conventional pots, pans, and bakeware are coated with toxic ingredients, like PTFE, PFOA, and PFAS. I’ll share more about why this is important below. PFAS are also known as “forever chemicals” — once they enter the body, they cannot naturally be broken down.

Caraways solves this problem with a safe, eco-friendly coating. It’s naturally nonstick, and you don’t have to worry about the nasty stuff leaching into your food or inhaling the chemicals as you’re cooking. 

If you love to bake but are worried about conventional bakeware, it’s a great time to switch!

What Makes Bakeware Toxic? (And Why It’s Time to Switch)

Here’s a breakdown of some of the ingredients you’ll find in conventional pots, pans, and bakeware:

PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene)

What it is: PTFE is a synthetic fluoropolymer commonly known as Teflon, used for its nonstick properties in cookware and bakeware. Teflon is everywhere, and I’m so glad I got rid of our Teflon pans years ago.

Harms: