Connection is Limitless Love: Opening our hearts can change the course of it all …
“To see people who will notice a need in the world and do something about it ... Those are my heroes.”
My cheeky family! It’s been a moment since I wrote, outside of the daily story posts which are more of a micro blog, as you know. If you’ve followed my page for awhile now, you’ve noticed I don’t follow the standard insta algorithm formula — instead I post my raw, authentic journey from the soul. To have a space to comfortably share lessons and changes I gather as I grow is an honor and cathartic release, major. I’ll never be able to express the gratitude that explodes connecting genuinely with each and every one of you that I have had the pleasure to get to know. That’s why you’ll never catch cheeks on the 3 feed posts a day crank out flow they say is required to “grow”. But my gosh so much has changed this year and as it starts to wind down, I couldn’t help but share more deeply here, with the ones I love the most. The OG purpose of creating the Cheeky Clean, was to be a resource for authentic living, and I am honored to share tools and my perspective along the journey. If I can help even one person find some light – it’s worth the vulnerability it takes to put my heart into the outside, especially in a social media world where the formula is more about numbers and highlights. I genuinely love and appreciate each and every human I have gotten to know from just sharing real … which is why this year, actually starting an LLC for my brand still feels wildly surreal.
Coincidentally, my last blog post I wrote was foreshadowing a new me. Starting off this year in my dark night of the soul, completely lost in a toxic relationship I got in post divorce that was turning my heart to coal, while feeling this incredible arousal of pure light in my soul start to flicker as I got deeper in my cheeky work. Releasing relationships, victim mindsets, and behaviors that no longer served me was critical as I started to gain energy from workshops, vendor events, curating a TCC online store, and connecting with consumers who I knew I could serve with purpose from my lifetime of research. The momentum we are building together in this cheeky mission is an absolute force, and empowering each other through the blessings of real experience is how we change the world…and you all are most definitely changing mine, for sure. As fate would have it, the cheekies I have met illuminated a new path forward — simply by selflessly sharing their resources and experiences with me also. That is the beauty of energy exchange — it’s a lovely dance of mutual healing, and when executed in alignment can forever change our course.
ENTER: THE TURNING POINT
If you haven’t been to Everything Beauty yet, click the link and make an appointment. I have been in awe of these women owners from the first day I stumbled into an event in their beautiful space, never imagining I would come across the cheekiest spray tan on the market — rare shit — but most importantly, a family owned mom and daughter duo who would become lifelong friends. I’ve dragged spray tans for years to be honest, and went to the event to try Socially Raw juice — which is elite in the market. Side note, the owners of this organic juice delivery service opened a scratch made cafe in Tremont, Pace Café — pioneers ahead of their time bringing real, healing food in a cool atmosphere to Cleveland. I’ll really never get over the purpose driven humans who are hustling from the heart to change this city for the better – when we so desperately need healing more than ever.
Few things have really blown my cheeky mind since moving back from Cali when it comes to a new standard, but business owners like these are the real deal, and the definition of “cheeky”. I think my eyeballs almost fell out of my body when the Everything Beauty women so kindly and confidently handed over their formula on that random event day for me to read, something I usually have to pry out of manufacturers hands in the limited regulated beauty community. Not containing toxic additives or hormone disrupting chemicals??? I had to re-read it multiple times, but yep — it’s cheeky approved and MAJOR legit homies. Since, I continue to be the number one fan of their services, and I’m honored to support their purpose in offering safe, TCC Approved beauty products in an industry that so desperately needs change. But what’s inspired me the most — is how this little family of badass women led from the heart first. It was a random day late last winter when I mentioned to Ceci, one of the owners, during my spray — how lost I felt. That I just needed an unbiased source who could help lead me through this dark time I had entered, but not a normal therapist — someone more spiritual. Without hesitating, she recommended I see her friend Lisa, who entered my world to support, love, and change the trajectory of my existence forever.
“No matter how dark it gets, you just keep looking for that small glimmer of light and you will reach it.”
Lisa is a master healer, who at the time I met her was focusing on Reiki therapy — an energy healing work that comes from the Japanese words “rei” meaning universal and “ki” meaning life energy. From our first session, we both felt an intense connection. Lisa has a gift of intuition and is able to see people and situations from a much higher vision. That first day I told her more than anyone in my life and she listened without judgement and recommended I start the Formula, a course by Dr. Joe Dispenza. I’ll never forget Lisa’s wise words from that first session: “no matter how dark it gets, you just keep looking for that small glimmer of light and you will reach it”. A few months later after we had been working together she texted me out of the blue to tell me that Dr. Joe was holding an advanced retreat in Nashville and she felt called to attend, and invited me to join her. At the time, I had never meditated for longer than 10-15 minutes, tops, and am still in awe of what divine intervention took over my body to book that trip before even thinking about it. Late September we hopped a plane, and I sat in a row with Lisa and Christie (whom I met that day, also unsure WTF she was doing on this journey trusting Lisa’s guidance when we all barely knew each other or what we had coming). We spent the next 7 days inseparable at a life changing week of awakening, and left that retreat as family. These women have become sisters, friends, confidants and my biggest supporters. They have shown me the true meaning of unconditional love and I am positive they are angels walking this earth. Each in a different decade of life — we found such profound connections attending this transformational experience together – and have built a bond I will cherish forever. Since returning, we have committed to not only staying close, but meeting weekly to meditate, connect and continue our healing spiritual journey together. We call our group “Up at Dawn” and every Monday we are in Tremont at Christie’s shop, Banyan Tree, before the sun comes up, doing the work to get closer to the source. The retreat opened my hardened heart to realizing how deeply in fear I was living, but these girls provided the elixir of support to gain confidence and safety to crack it open. As fate would have it, it was a Monday Morning Up at Dawn session when I decided I was going to resign from my corporate work after 14 years, a decision I never would have had the courage to embark on had I not been surrounded by the love of these women. Dr. Joe told us to prepare for complete life shifts when we left our meditation retreat, where we went from meditators that were novice to having spent over 40 hours in those 7 days deep within, while the other 35 we spent learning about the scientific benefits of meditation on the brain. When I got back, the addictive vices that remained were wiped away by my insatiable hunger to open to the benefits of living presently. The work that Dr Joe and his team of scientists are doing to bring this healing practice to a broken medical system is astonishing, and the gratitude I have for this experience is far beyond comprehension. Since returning to real life, the synchronicities for all three of us from 3 separate generations, have become powerful. As I left my job, Christie coincidentally needed help to rebrand her ethically driven mission that completely aligned with my focus for conscious consumption. This is why you’ll often see me posting about Banyan Tree now, a creative outlet that’s my honor to bring to new life. It blows our minds how seamlessly our paths were meant to collide. We laughed out loud in awe, when we realized that even Christie and I’s parents have the exact same names — Jim and Pat — like what are the odds? Lisa smiled and reminded us, of course. The angels are working their magic.
As we get into December I am feeling all the feels from this awe inspiring, lift shift of a year. Continuing to proudly offer best in class supplements in partnership with the incredible, local brand Mustard Seed Market, and doing Cheeky Aid drops supported by See You in Health Cafe. Mostly this month, I am taking a major pause — to really feel, heal, and soak in all this change. Subconsciously, I knew something had to transition this time last year, but the turmoil I was living in was not for the weak, or sustainable. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D explains the concept I was living in that dark stage of life perfectly ... It’s called Hombre de Alma — meaning Soul Famine. It's a ravenous, insatiable feeling we get when the soul is longing to live in its creative version, but instead we are reaching for material, physical, substances anything that will numb the restless pain we feel in this unbalanced existence. In her book, Women Who Run with the Wolves she writes about this so eloquently: “It is important to keep our eyes open and carefully weigh offers of an easier existence, a trouble free path, especially if, in exchange we are asked to surrender our personal creative joy to a cremating fire rather enkindling one of our own making.” This unearthed creative part of my insides was so desperate to be released, like a caged wild beast, and all it took was for me to remove the barriers that were clogging my brain and heart to see clearly, that fear will keep us trapped in a life we weren’t meant to live for an eternity if we don’t do something to consciously change it. We can always choose to run towards our true existence, we just have to wake up to it. A community surrounding us makes that possible — and why most of all I thank the connections that led me to this new version we are creating, and this beautiful soulful awakening.
“Through the transformation of ourselves, the gifts will come.”
The hustle of my early adult years was worth it. I learned the precious fragility of life while caring for my parents in their sickness, and conquered the world of corporate America — climbing the ladder high and often leading rooms full of men twice my age of existence. But I’ve learned the universal need not only for physical earning, but spiritual too is a necessity. When we work so hard, we lose sight of the happiness available to us by living with more depth. The translation of Kabbalah, a donation based spiritual practice I have been studying the last month, means literally “to receive”. Through the transformation of ourselves, the gifts will come. So currently, I've traded material possessions for living lighter, pouring my heart into my creativity, saying no to many things, and working hard to uncover the fears I’ve lived in through vessels like hypnotherapy and meditation to find true spiritual healing. Within this authentic journey I hope to continue to connect with likeminded, evolving human beings who are also on a higher journey. Together as a force raising our consciousness to feeling and living as the happiest, healthiest, most peaceful versions we are destined to be. Stay faithful, and watch for the blessings to arrive, Cheekies.
The Phoenix lights herself on fire so she can rise new ❤ when surrounded by a healing community — there is nothing we can’t do. I hope my experience and the tagged resources can assist your rebirth if you need it, too. All my belief in you and all my love to you ❤ with endless gratitude!!!