Barb Brown Coaching & Consulting

Leaning Into Joy

Living Your Heart’s Desire!

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You know how some people live life almost on auto pilot and then reach a point where they realize that they have no idea how they got where they are and they really don’t like where they have ended up? Don’t live your life by accident. As a “Heart’s Desire Coach”, I can help.

Hello, I’m Barb Brown and I help people live life fully, in a healthy way, and on purpose by exploring their passions and discovering and living their true heart’s desire. My mission is to inspire others to be fearless in their pursuit of health, happiness, joy, success, fun and their heart’s desire. Life doesn’t have to be hard. I’m here to show you that life can be and should be fun.

I Can help you discover your heart’s desire even if you have no idea what that might be. I can help you find the courage to live your heart’s desire even if you don’t feel strong right now. Living your life on purpose and following your dreams and heart’s desire means living a life of wonder, joy and freedom. 

Several years ago, I realized that I was not happy with my life and decided to make some major changes. I was overweight, I had health issues, and I was depressed. My journey since then has led me on a self discovery about my passions, likes & dislikes, and my heart’s desire. I have made it my mission to live my heart’s desire each and every day and to get back on track as soon as possible when I stray from that path. It is also my mission to help as many people as possible to discover and live their heart’s desire too. 

I teach about holistic health,life balance and spirituality because if you are not healthy, not feeling well, or are chronically ill you are not going to be living your heart’s desire because your thoughts and energy are on worry and stress about your health. Being anxious, worried, or stressed will also distract you from living fully. I have tools to help you manage all areas of your life to stay balanced, healthy and on track to live your heart’s desire!

When one area of life is out of balance we feel it in the other areas of our lives. If we are not feeling well physically, we won’t feel well emotionally. Emotional upset also creates physical discomfort and illness. Having some kind of spiritual practice balances out the entire system and provides a centering point to come to in times of crisis, chaos, illness or change. So, the path to happiness and living our heart’s desire is a matter of maintaining physical, emotional and spiritual health.  I advocate a holistic path to achieve this goal. This begins a journey into these various areas of our lives and how to care for each area in a holistic way. I hope you visit often to learn about health, happiness and living your heart’s desire.

For more information about me, please visit my about page. If you would like to schedule a time to talk about working with me please send me an email at barb@barbloves.me. 

Grief And The Holdays

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You Don’t Have to be Happy Just Because it’s Christmas!

Life comes in seasons. Some years are wonderful with few worries and plenty of everything. While other years are leaner, more troublesome, and just plain sad. In the good years, the holidays are a lot of fun, but during the sad times, we may not enjoy Christmas all that much, and that’s ok. Really, it’s okay. I want to give you permission to feel what you feel, even if it isn’t “happy.”

There’s a lot of pressure put on us by family members, the media and society alike to put on a smile and be “merry and bright” during the holidays. We’re magically supposed to be in a good mood on Christmas no matter what’s going on in our lives or around us. Of course you don’t want to ruin Christmas for those around you. But let’s face it, sometimes life is difficult and when it happens around Christmas, it’s hard to put on a show of good cheer. 

There’s nothing wrong with being sad around the holidays. If you’re recently lost a loved one and are facing your first Christmas without them, it’s perfectly normal and healthy to be sad. You miss them, and not being able to share such a wonderful time of the year with this special person makes it harder to feel joy and happiness. When something does put a smile on your face, you may even feel guilty. 

Maybe you lost your job recently or are having other financial difficulties and can’t give your kids the gifts they’ve been asking Santa for. Maybe a relationship fell apart and you’re still trying to figure out what your life looks like now. Lots of different things can happen that will take a lot of the joy out of Christmas. And that’s ok. The important thing is to feel your feelings and not stuff them away just because of the time of year. 

Despite the picture TV shows, movies, and Christmas stories paint, our troubles don’t magically go away come Christmas Eve. We are still grieving, broke, and feeling lost. And that’s ok. Life isn’t always perfect. Sometimes it’s messy, complicated, sad, and sometimes depressing – even on Christmas. 

Don’t feel pressured to put yourself in a good mood. Don’t expect to feel better all of sudden. Get through the Holidays the best you can. Do what you need to do for the little ones, and then go and have a good cry. Be mad, be sad, or be angry. Feel what you need to feel to get through this hard period in life. 

But also remember this. Things will look up and there are many happy days and happy Christmases ahead. Remember the good times and know in your heart that better times are yet to come. 

I Wish You a Simple Christmas

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“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” Dr. Seuss,How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Case For A Simple Christmas Have you thought about simplifying Christmas? What I mean is to have a holiday season without so much stress, without going all out on decorations, events, and gifts. I invite you to consider celebrating a much simpler Christmas this year. By scaling back and focusing on the more spiritual side of this holiday, you just might find more joy this season. As an added bonus, when you keep things simple, you have a lot more time to enjoy everything this special time of the year has to offer. 

Think back on Christmases past. Chances are, the ones that stand out the most were years when your family didn’t have the money for the fanciest decorations, lots of events leading up to Christmas eve and mountains of presents. Instead, if your family is anything like mine, the ones we remember are the years when we had little money yet plenty of time to spend with each other. I remember one very snowy Christmas Eve spent outside together till way after dark. Dinner and presents were waiting for us but we were having so much fun outside in the snow, together.

My mom and her five sisters always spent a weekend together baking candy and cookies, laughing and telling stories about their childhood. The house would be filled with the smell of cinnamon and tables with fudge, divinity, hard candy and cookies galore! It’s those simple Christmases and the special times spent together that stand out in my mind. They are some of my most treasured memories and the same holds true for the rest of my family. 

This year I’m making an effort to keep it simple, and I’d like to invite you to join along. I’m not buying more decorations. Instead, I’m sorting through what I have, picking the things I love and giving away the rest. The house is less cluttered and the decorations that are up stand out. As an added bonus it’s easier to clean and it will be much quicker to put everything away come January. 

My calendar is a lot lighter this year as well. I’ve chosen a handful of activities and events that I know I will enjoy. The rest of the time I will spend doing what I love including curling up with a good book by the fire, creating some new SoulCollage® cards, spending time outside with my dogs, really being present during the 13 Holy Nights and watching some of my favorite holiday movies.

When it comes to presents, my family decided long ago to keep it simple. I find meaningful gifts for my younger nieces and my grandson but for the adults, we find time to spend together that is much more meaningful and memorable. One rule I’ve always enjoyed if I am to give a gift is to include something that is playful, such as a toy or game that everyone can enjoy. 

However you choose to celebrate, I hope you give a simpler Christmas a try this year and see if you enjoy a calmer and more meaningful holiday season. Merry Christmas!

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ”  ― Norman Vincent Peale

If you are looking for a deeper spiritual experience during this season, please join me for the 13 Holy Nights. From sunset on December 24th to sunset on January 6th is a window of time. An incredibly holy period of time where the opportunity for connection with spirit is stronger than any other time of the year. Earthly energies subside as if we have a direct connection with spirit, and spirit can provide a direct imprint letting our personal mind and earthly energies take a rest. You can find more information at www.13holynights.com.