173: What’s saving my life right now - December 2025
What's saving my life right now (and maybe yours too)
I love those episodes where someone just gets real about what's actually working in their life right now.
Not the big, life-changing stuff necessarily, but the small things that are keeping them grounded and functional.
So here's my snapshot of what's saving my life at this busy time of year.
My skincare obsession is saving my nervous system
I went from doing basically nothing to going all in on skincare.
I've got the quartz roller, the serums, the exfoliating masks, the lash and brow serum - the whole deal.
My favorite brand is Pura, a local Edmonton brand with the most delicious smelling, light and effective products. They have this hyaluronic ruby serum that actually has a little ruby gemstone in the bottle itself. I'm sure there are magical mystical crystal properties, but the skincare alone is beautiful.
For overnight cream, I've fallen hard for the drugstore brand CeraVe. It's so thick and luxurious - my skin feels plump when I use it. This is the one I use.
When I roll that quartz roller on my face, my whole body and nervous system pause and reset.
It feels like a splurge, totally indulgent, and it's adding this tiny moment of joy and self-care that I didn't know I desperately needed.
My fave skincare products:
CeraVe Night Cream: https://amzn.to/48BkmrB
Neroli Eye Ritual: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/neroli-eye-ritual
Ambrosia Beautifying Serum: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/ambrosia-beautifying-serum
Hyaluronic Ruby Serum: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/hyaluronic-ruby-serum
Exotic Pink Coffee Dust: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/exotic-pink-coffee-dust
Gemstone Face Roller: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/beauty-ritual-accessories/products/new-gemstone-face-roller
Bee by the Sea Body Cream: https://amzn.to/4oZ92vT
A spa subscription that's forcing me to actually take care of myself
For my 50th birthday, my husband and kids gifted me a year-long monthly subscription to a local spa. The kind where they give you a big fluffy robe and slides, individual lockers, sauna and lounge area with complimentary snacks.
If it wasn't for this subscription, I know I would never go.
I really wanted to be someone who got regular massages or facials, but I just wouldn't do it.
This monthly gift keeps giving and recharges my batteries completely.
Create your own spa atmosphere at home with my favourite diffuser:
Saje Wellness Aromatherapy Diffuser - https://www.saje.ca/products/aroma-om-stone-cool-mist-diffuser
Here’s my fave diffuser collection: https://www.saje.ca/products/happy-home-inviting-diffuser-blend-collection
Strength training is keeping me connected to humans
My fitness classes save my life.
Not only am I physically getting stronger - the knee and back pain are gone, and my husband commented that my arms are looking more buff - but some weeks these classes are the only time I leave the house and talk to humans who aren't my family or people in the checkout line. Sad but true.
My Fave Fitness Classes:
Core Love: https://www.corelove.ca/
Getting my cooking mojo back
When the pandemic hit in 2020, I lost all interest in cooking. I used to love it - had recipe collections, cookbook collections, was obsessed with cooking shows.
But lately that spark is coming back. I've been revisiting old favorites, trying new recipes. The other day I made an amazing French dip recipe in my slow cooker that actually delivered on its high hopes.
Yesterday I tried making Yorkshire puddings - they were too dense, but I'll try again. I'm just enjoying getting back into the kitchen, exploring recipes, cooking nourishing meals.
My fave Recipes:
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches: https://houseofnasheats.com/slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches/
Go to Black Beans: https://bigflavorstinykitchen.com/go-to-black-beans/
The mantra that stops me from spinning out
Whenever I'm stuck or overwhelmed or spinning out, I ask myself: "What would my million dollar self do right now?"
This isn't to be hussle-y or bro-y - it's really asking what would my future self appreciate if I did right now?
It helps me tap into the wisdom I already have and stop second guessing.
Please borrow that mantra if you think it'll help you.
Releasing expectations of loved ones
This is the big one. I've finally learned and accepted that certain people only have capacity for a certain way of being. Once I stopped expecting something different, expecting them to behave differently, wishing they were different - once I dropped all that, my mental peace dramatically improved.
I don't talk back, don't fight, don't get disappointed because I finally see them for who they are and what they truly have capacity for.
Sometimes the thing saving your life is releasing the expectations and stories you're telling yourself about other people.
Yes, beans are saving my life
Beans are having a moment on social media - there's this whole "bean talk" thing. In our house, we've always eaten beans and lentils multiple times per week.
But when I spent a week at my mom's after her knee surgery, I discovered she doesn't eat many beans. I was really missing and craving them in my diet.
My favourite bean recipe is dead simple: a can of black beans dumped into a pot with olive oil and crushed garlic that's been simmering. Add cilantro stalks, big pinch of salt, bring to boil then simmer.
Go to Black Beans: https://bigflavorstinykitchen.com/go-to-black-beans/
I eat these beans as a side with scrambled eggs for breakfast, spooned over rice for lunch, or in a quesadilla with cheese. My kids love them.
When grocery prices are disgustingly high, nothing's cheaper, more delicious and nourishing than a can of beans. I've seen stats about how beans help boost serotonin, how the magnesium can help with anxiety, plus all the fiber benefits.
Body butter for the Canadian winter
Living in one of the northernmost cities in Canada at this cold, dry time of year - body butter is essential. I keep one pot at my desk, constantly slathering it on my hands and elbows. Another on my bedside table.
For about 20 bucks, it makes me feel so nurtured and cared for. It genuinely makes my life better.
My go to body butter:
Bee by the Sea Body Cream: https://amzn.to/4oZ92vT
My immediate family keeps me grounded
I'm really enjoying parenting my 14 and 18-year-old sons. They bring me so much light and life and fun. This kind of parenting isn't stressful at all - I think I'm really lucky.
My husband has always been my biggest cheerleader, and as we approach our 22nd wedding anniversary, he's still my favourite person.
This has been a challenging year with aging parents, memory care, end of life stuff, looking after our mothers and all their paperwork and medical appointments.
If it weren't for this supportive marriage and our awesome kids, it would be so much more difficult.
My bird tree brings the cozy
Almost every year we drive hours out of town to chop down a Christmas tree - the quintessential Canadian experience where we spend way more in gas and time than if we just drove 20 minutes to a tree lot.
We decorate it with a beautiful collection of bird ornaments I've been collecting - little birds with feathers, ceramic birds, all different kinds. It becomes this really beautiful, dainty wild bird tree.
I don't know what it is about this year, but I'm especially enjoying this bird tree and our holiday decor.
I think I just need that cozy, beautiful, homey feeling right now.
The self-care theme is real
Looking at this list, there's a huge trend toward self-care - the skincare, spa, body butter, essential oils. I think I'm finally prioritizing myself, my body, and my self-care.
What's bringing you joy or saving your life right now?
I'd love to know - you can send me a text or find me on LinkedIn.
My favourites in one list
Resources:
Check out Kendra’s What’s saving my life right now episodes on the Lazy Genius Podcast: https://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/lazy/wsml117
My fave skincare products:
CeraVe Night Cream: https://amzn.to/48BkmrB
Neroli Eye Ritual: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/neroli-eye-ritual
Ambrosia Beautifying Serum: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/ambrosia-beautifying-serum
Hyaluronic Ruby Serum: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/hyaluronic-ruby-serum
Exotic Pink Coffee Dust: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/skincare/products/exotic-pink-coffee-dust
Gemstone Face Roller: https://www.purabotanicals.ca/collections/beauty-ritual-accessories/products/new-gemstone-face-roller
My Fave Fitness Classes:
Core Love: https://www.corelove.ca/
My fave Recipes:
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches: https://houseofnasheats.com/slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches/
Go to Black Beans: https://bigflavorstinykitchen.com/go-to-black-beans/
My fave room diffuser:
Saje Wellness Aromatherapy Diffuser - https://www.saje.ca/products/aroma-om-stone-cool-mist-diffuser
Here’s my fave diffuser collection: https://www.saje.ca/products/happy-home-inviting-diffuser-blend-collection
My fave body butter:
Bee by the Sea Body Cream: https://amzn.to/4oZ92vT
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[00:00:00] Hello, hello, and welcome back to the EL Communication Podcast. It's a busy time of year. There's a lot going on, and so I wanted to pause and record one of my favorite kinds of episodes to listen to, and I thought maybe you might enjoy listening to. Today's episode is inspired by the lazy genius, Kendra aci.
[00:00:23] Uh, she quarterly records What's saving my life right now, or what's bringing me joy right now, episodes, and I love getting a peek into her life and hearing what's saving her life. So I am bringing this to you. At this time of year for your listening pleasure, this is a snapshot of what's keeping me grounded, what's keeping me inspired, and honestly what's helping me function at this time of year in this season and season of life.
[00:00:53] The first thing that is saving my life right now is my new skincare obsession. It is absolutely saving my life. I have gone. All in. I went from like doing almost nothing to doing everything. I've got the quartz roller, I've got the serums, I've got the exfoliating masks, I've got the Lash and the Brow serum.
[00:01:15] My favorite brand is a local Edmonton brand called Pure. They have the most delicious smelling, light and effective skincare products. They have this really lovely hyaluronic ruby uh, serum. That actually has a little ruby gemstone in the bottle itself. I'm sure there are some magical, mystical crystal properties that help with the skincare, but the skincare alone is beautiful.
[00:01:42] I'll link to them in the show notes. It's not an affiliate link, but they are a really beautiful skincare brand. Surprisingly for an overnight cream, I have absolutely fallen in love with the drugstore brand. Ravi, I think I might have seen a social media dermatologist recommend it, [00:02:00] but it is so thick. It is so luxurious.
[00:02:03] My skin feels so plump when I use it, and I wanna use it day and night. It is so good. So definitely try that one out. I've always enjoyed makeup. When I was a tween in the eighties, I did have a caboodle. Don't be jealous to store all my blue and pink eyeshadows. As a teen and young adult, I suffered with horrific acne.
[00:02:26] Had to go to the dermatologist for medications and treatments. So I've always looked after my skin, but I never really got into the anti-aging. Regimen with the serums and the rollers until just a few months ago. I think I turned 50, and then I was like, well, I better start now. But when I roll that quartz roller on my face, it's like my whole body and my whole nervous system pause and reset.
[00:02:53] It feels like a splurge. It feels totally indulgent, and it's adding this. Tiny moment of joy and an act of self care that I did not know I desperately needed. The second thing saving my life right now is a spa subscription for my 50th birthday. My amazing husband and kids gifted me a year long monthly subscription to a local spa.
[00:03:20] It's the kind where you walk in. They give you a big fluffy robe and slides. There's individual lockers. There's the sauna and a lounge area with complimentary snacks and beverages. And every month I go in for a treatment. And if it wasn't for this subscription, I know I would never go. And I really wanted to be someone who went to the spa.
[00:03:43] I wanted to be someone who would get regular massages or regular facials. And if it weren't for this subscription, I would never go. But I've had two glorious facials so far, and in a couple of days I'm going for my massage. Uh, [00:04:00] this is. A monthly gift to myself that keeps giving and it recharges my batteries and saves my life.
[00:04:10] Number three. I have said this before, but my strength training fitness classes definitely save my life. Not only am I physically getting stronger, the knee and the back pain are gone, but my husband has also commented that my arms are looking more buff, which. You know, I kind of like hearing, uh, plus some weeks these classes are the only time I leave the house and talk to humans who aren't my family or people in the checkout line.
[00:04:39] It is sad, but it is true. So yes, my core love fitness classes are saving my life. I will link to them in the show note, show notes. If you're local to Edmonton, you can come in and try their fitness classes, but they also do offer virtual classes as well. Highly, highly recommend. I. Something else that's saving my life right now is cooking.
[00:05:05] Now, basically when the pandemic hit in 2020, I lost all interest in cooking. I used to love cooking. I have recipe collections, I have cookbook collections. I was obsessed with cookbook shows or cooking shows rather. But once the pandemic hit, I kind of lost my cooking mojo and you know, maybe there was a bit of perimenopause mixed in there.
[00:05:32] But lately that spark for cooking is coming back. I've been revisiting old favorites, trying new recipes. The other day I made an amazing French dip recipe in my slow cooker, and it was truly delicious. It was one of those recipes where you have high hopes and it actually delivers even for the cook.
[00:05:55] Perfection. I'll link it to it in the show notes if I can track it down again. [00:06:00] Yesterday I had a flop. I tried making new Yorkshire puddings. They weren't perfect. They were too dense, but I'll try again. I've just really been enjoying getting back into the kitchen, exploring recipes, cooking, nourishing meals, and baking a little more again.
[00:06:18] Something that is saving my mindset is this new mantra I've been saying. Now, I don't say it like all the time, but whenever I'm stuck or overwhelmed or spinning out. I ask myself, what would my million dollar self do right now? Now, this isn't to be hussy or broy, but it's really like, what would my future self really appreciate if I did right now?
[00:06:44] And it really helps me tap into the wisdom that I already have and stop second guessing. So when I'm spinning and feeling stuck, I get into action and I ask myself, what would my million dollar self do right now? Please borrow that mantra if you think it will help you. The next thing that's saving my life, which I've talked about before, but it still is an essential, is essential oils.
[00:07:12] I, uh, not like into the MLMs or anything like that, but I do have a few essential oils that I roll on throughout the day. I have one that helps me focus when I'm doing some deep writing. I have a diffuser in my office. I have a diffuser in my bedroom and each set. Different kinds of moods. In fact, just before I recorded this episode, I was getting a really, really ferocious headache.
[00:07:39] So I swiped on some peppermint oil and now I'm feeling much better. If you have essential oils that you love to use, uh, feel free to share them with me. I'm all about exploring. The next thing that is saving my life right now is something that I wish I had [00:08:00] learned many, many years ago. Uh. And it's a little bit more emotional, but I have let go of expectations of some of my loved ones.
[00:08:12] I have finally, finally learned and accepted that certain people. Only have a capacity for a certain way of being, and once I stopped expecting something different, expecting them to behave in a different way, wishing they were different, once I dropped all that, my mental peace has dramatically improved.
[00:08:40] I don't talk back. I don't fight, I don't get disappointed because I finally am seeing them for who they are and what they truly have the capacity and bandwidth for. Sometimes the thing saving your life is just releasing the expectations and the stories you are telling yourself about other people in your life.
[00:09:04] This has been truly saving my life, truly creating freedom for me. Uh, another random thing, saving my life right now are beans. Yes. You heard me correctly. I said beans. Now beans are having a moment on social media. There's a whole thing called bean talk where people are like, Ugh, it sounds disgusting.
[00:09:28] Eating like two cans of beans a day. Now, in our household, we. Always eat beans. We have eaten beans and lentils multiple times per week in our house, and we have done this for years. So I'm definitely not raw dog in a can of beans here. But I recently spent the week at my mom's after her knee surgery, and I discovered while living with her that she doesn't eat very many beans.
[00:09:53] She didn't have a lot of good bean choices in the cupboard, and so I. Was [00:10:00] really missing and craving beans in my diet. You see, on any given week, I'll make a bean or lentil salad that I'll eat throughout the week. I routinely make a lentil soup or bean chili or pasta faul for a quick weeknight dinner.
[00:10:17] But my favorite bean recipe is Deb Simple. It's actually a Gwyneth Paltrow recipe. It's a can of black beans. Which you dump into a pot that has a glug of olive oil and a crushed garlic clove that's been kind of simmering in there. You dump that bean, that can of beans with all the, the bean juice and everything into the pot.
[00:10:41] You add a few stalks of cilantro. A big pinch of salt and you bring it to a boil and then simmer For a few minutes, I will eat these beans as a side with scrambled eggs and a little bit of cucumber and some tomatoes for my breakfast. I'll spoon it over rice for a quick lunch, or I'll spoon it into a quesadilla with lots of cheese.
[00:11:05] You truly cannot go wrong. My kids. Love eating these beans. And when, when grocery prices are as disgustingly high as they are right now, nothing is cheaper, more delicious and nourishing than a can of beans. After a few days without beans, when I was at my mom's, like I, my bo, I couldn't believe how much my body and even my brain were craving beans.
[00:11:35] Because beans are having a bit of a moment on social media, I've seen some stats and some content about how beans help boost serotonin, how the magnesium in beans can actually help with anxiety, and of course all the other healthy benefits you get from eating fiber. So I just, I'm really appreciating beans.
[00:11:57] I think that's weird, but I am, it's saving [00:12:00] my life. Maybe it'll save yours. Another thing that's saving my life right now, and I say this as a Canadian who lives in one of the northern most cities in Canada at a very cold and dry time of year. The thing I really love right now is body butter. I keep one pot of body butter at my desk.
[00:12:25] I'm constantly slathering it on my hands and my elbows. I also have one on my bedside table. I'm slathering it on just before bed, and then multiple times per day. There's a couple of different brands I've been using, but I'm always open to hearing your recommendations. Body butter feels so luxurious and like it is kind of expensive, but not so expensive that you.
[00:12:50] Can't afford it, or I can't, I can't afford it right now, but for about 20 bucks, it's something that makes me feel so nurtured and cared for, and it genuinely, genuinely makes my life better. I. The next thing that is saving my life, which I've said before, and I'll say it again, is my immediate family. I'm really enjoying parenting.
[00:13:15] My 14 and 18-year-old sons, they are the best. They bring me so much light and life and fun, and this kind of parenting is not stressful at all. I think. Uh. I'm really lucky. My husband has also been my, always been my biggest cheerleader, and as we come upon our 22nd wedding anniversary in just a week or two, he is still my favorite person.
[00:13:39] This has been a challenging year. We've had a lot of ups and downs in our extended family and in our household this year. We've had aging parents. We've been dealing with memory care end of life. We've been looking after our mothers and all of the paperwork and medical appointments they have. And if it weren't for [00:14:00] this supportive marriage that I have, and if our kids weren't as awesome as they are.
[00:14:05] It would be so much more difficult. So my family is definitely saving my life, and at this time of year, the final thing that is saving my life is my bird tree. Now let me explain almost every year. We drive a couple hours out of town to chop down a Christmas tree. It's the quintessential Canadian Christmas experience where we spend way more in gas and snacks and time to drive to the forest than we would if we just drove 20 minutes to a tree lot.
[00:14:40] But it's become a fun tradition for our family. We have so much fun selecting the tree, chopping it down, and then having a bonfire where we roast weenies and marshmallows and then we bring it home and we decorate that real tree with a beautiful collection of bird ornaments that I've been collecting over the last several years.
[00:15:05] I have like birds, little birds with feathers. I have ceramic birds. I have bobs and. These, the becomes this really beautiful dainty wild bird tree, and I love it. And I don't know what it is about this year, but especially this year, I'm enjoying this bird tree and our holiday decor. I think I just need that kind of cozy, beautiful, homey feeling right now.
[00:15:33] So my friend, those are the things that are saving my life right now. I'll drop links into the show notes for a few of the items. If you're subscribed to my email list, you'll see a pictures of a few of these items. So definitely subscribe to my email list if you're not already on there. Of course, as I review this list, I see a huge trend toward self-care, the skincare, the spa, the body butter, the essential oils.
[00:15:59] It's [00:16:00] a bit of a theme. I think I'm finally prioritizing myself, my body, and my self-care. But I would love to know what is bringing you joy or what is saving your life right now. So send me a text. There's a link in the show notes to send a direct text to me. When you text, please mention your name so I know who the message is from.
[00:16:23] You can also find me on LinkedIn and share what's saving your life right now. I'd really love to know. That's it for me today. I will catch you next week.
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