- What is your book about? Mindful Is the New Skinny is about nourishing the inside, so you can flourish on the outside. It’s about how to shift your mindset: from perfection and judgment to compassion, because once you drop the emotional weight, and manage your stress better, only then will you look and feel your best.
- What does the title Mindful Is the New Skinny mean? Striving to be skinny, is an “outer approach” and is out! Mindfulness is an inner approach and is in! In our society, “skinny” is a sort of metaphor for perfection—as in, the perfect body, the perfect life. This is not realistic. Thinking this way robs us of our happiness. On the contrary, mindfulness is about accepting and embracing imperfection, seeing the beauty in it. Doing so brings with it a healthy attitude and contentment that is enduring.
- How does one make that shift? Calming down the critical and judgmental thoughts can help bring us more happiness. Additionally, we need to train our minds to be more present, instead of wandering off into negative fantasies or false stories we tell ourselves. We can practice this with meditation and mindfulness techniques which I teach in the book. It’s not about changing and controlling everything in your life, it’s about increasing your capacity to cope and to tolerate being uncomfortable, which can also help with food cravings and decreasing stress.
- What brought you to write this book? About 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Overnight, it dramatically changed the way I ate. I learned how to eat mindfully, because I had to think about every morsel I put in my mouth. I saw how strong the mind-body connection was and that was the beginning of my journey to mindfulness. Since I was never exposed to spiritual concepts growing up, learning these new ideas felt freeing. I wanted to share them with women, like me, who wouldn’t ordinarily seek out mindfulness so they could change their lives too.
- Who is the target audience for this book? This book is targeted for women who are tired of dieting, over-stressed and overscheduled; women who just want to learn new ways to get healthier and happier. My goal is to free women from feeling not good enough and discontent and help them make peace not only with themselves but their whole lives. I believe obsession with weight loss is a symptom for other struggles. We don’t have to live in a perpetual state of anxiety and judgment. There is another way.
- What makes your book different? Each chapter ends with a “mindful mantra” and corresponding guided meditation that can be accessed directly from QR codes within the book. Some meditations included are the “I’m beating myself up meditation”, or the “I prefer retail therapy meditation” that you can practice whenever you need them. When you purchase the book, you also get access to a free resource area, with recipes, tips, and other supplemental materials to enhance your mindfulness experience.
