Explore Karen’s Workshops

All disease begins in the gut. - Hippocrates

We keep hearing about gut health. In fact, lately it seems to be saturating the media’s conversation about health. Is all the fuss just an indication of another health fad that will become yesterday’s news in a few years?  

Probably not. New avenues of scientific research are confirming what many holistic healers have known for centuries: Gut health plays a critical role in overall well-being.

Although slow to hit the agenda in Western medicine, healers dating back at least 2,000 years have been concerned with the vital link between our digestive system and our overall health and wellness.

Modern scientific research is now catching up, and peer-reviewed medical research has demonstrated links between a person’s gut health and his or her mood, behavior, brain function, learning, cravings, sleep, weight, allergies, immune system, and many other health conditions.

An unhealthy gut microbiome has been implicated as a potential root cause for a variety of specific conditions, including:

• Depression and anxiety

• Autoimmune diseases

• Weight regulation and obesity

• Food sensitivities and allergies

• Diabetes and dementia

• IBS and digestive issues

• Autism and ADHD

• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

• Some forms of cancer

This interactive workshop will teach participants the importance of a happy belly, as well as offer practical dietary and lifestyle tips to nourish a healthy gut microbiome that supports good health, promotes well being, and boosts productivity.

Each participant will take away a list of belly healing techniques and foods, super simple snack recipes, and five surefire steps to bringing belly calm.

We either master our mindset or our mindset masters us. Sachin Patel

Is there a miracle pill for overall wellness? If I eat more kale or step up my workout, will I “get there”?

Consider this instead: Our mindset determines our wellness by framing our approach to and structuring our decision-making, thus impacting each and every health outcome.

Miracles? There may be a magic bullet, a medicine of sorts, which is the first step to overall wellness – understanding your mindset. Mindfully discovering it, acknowledging it, and ultimately shifting it to a perspective more in tune with well established principles of holistic wellness.

New research in neuroscience and behavioral psychology shows that our mindset holds the key to achieving high performance on a personal and professional level. It also proves we can control and enhance our mindset with proper training. Environment effects at least 95% of your DNA’s behavior - you can shift your mindset for a lifetime filled with wellness!

In this workshop, participants will:

• Understand the most powerful instrument in the world, the brain.

• Learn proven techniques to recognize learned body responses and harness their power for positive change.

• Gain clarity on mental blocks that are stunting personal growth, health, and productivity.

• Learn practices to propel beyond the old mindset and into the new.

• Learn when and how subconscious programming develops and how it affects all aspects of our life.

• Explore concepts such as ‘willpower’ and ‘dieting’ while delving into the findings of risk versus reward research.

Using a combination of presentation, guided discussion, and audience participation, Karen will bring life to these complex and fascinating subjects.

Takeaways will include a resource guide and take-home exercises to challenge participants’ current mindsets and prepare them for their well-life mindset shift.

Just what are the best foods to optimize your health and well-being? Are they the same foods for all? Hmm, bio-individuality, what does that mean?

Keeping up with all of the latest nutrition research isn’t easy. Conflicting messages, a plague of diet fads, celebrity endorsements… it is information overload at best. At worst, you could end up doing harm. Let’s get you calmed down and up to speed.

Topics covered will include:

• The lowdown on sugar and the current thinking on fats and proteins.

• An overview of all the latest ‘superfoods’.

• Is there really a gut-brain connection?

• Diets defined - is there one best for all?

• Why bio-individuality matters.

• Counting carbs and grams of fats - why not?

• What is ‘real food’? Myths of healthy food products.

• Foods that energize and foods that suck our energy.

• Are you really what you eat?

• Basics for every pantry and fridge and what to toss.

This interactive session will explore current dietary research and findings to determine what foods and dietary habits are most suitable, while releasing the fears of ‘bad’ foods and bringing joy back into eating!

Participants will learn how to stabilize energy levels, maximize productivity, and boost concentration while eliminating mood swings and extraneous stress.

Take-home resources include a shopping list of great staple foods to have on hand and a rundown of foods best avoided. A few surefire recipes will be provided to get everyone excited about cooking delicious, nourishing meals at home.

It’s obvious that we have taken on more and more in our daily routines, demanding more of ourselves mentally and physically than ever before. Can we do so and be well?

For too many people, there is no such thing as a 9-to-5, and although some people prefer it this way, the extended working hours leave many feeling as if they must check their emails, text messages, and voicemail at any time of the day—meaning they never truly rest.

We are so ‘busy’ we need constant caffeine to keep up. We’ve increased consumption of processed foods. Then, we top it all off with a lack of restorative sleep.

It’s no surprise most people describe feelings of running on empty or being stressed and/or burned-out; we need a battery recharge!

The pace of modern life presents a challenge. Can stress be the answer? Not all stress is negative. Believe it or not, some stress can boost energy, drive productivity, and even slow the aging process!

Topics covered will include:

• How shifting mindset, eating habits, and sleep hygiene (the usual suspects!) can improve energy and reduce negative stress.

• Practical techniques to harness healthy stress.

• Tips to create more energy to accomplish all our goals in this modern world.

• How to deal with “energy vampires”.

• Biochemical and emotional processes at the heart of feeling energized.

• How learning to say no is vital to our health and well-being.

The room will be abuzz with energy during and after this presentation, which incorporates guided discussion and audience participation, including learning to ward off vampires!

Takeaways will include two energy boosting tips participants can start today. A resource guide and take-home exercises will give participants a jump start to vitality and a battery recharge.