The Wellness Wonderland with Katie Dalebout

I first met Katie Dalebout when she interviewed me on her podcast, Wellness Wonderland (which by the way, will be aired in the next couple months! I’ll keep you posted!). I was extremely impressed by her podcast, her knowledge, energy and mission. You must check her out!

AC: I’m so excited to be interviewing the interviewer! Katie, please tell us about the Wellness Wonderland?

KD: The Wellness Wonderland is my corner of the Internet for holistic wellness. Holistic wellness has been defined and redefined by my audience and myself over the years. WW started in college as a way for me to express myself in general and creatively. I loved reading blogs. I would identify with the writers and just lust over my favorite blogs like designlovefest.com, cupcakesandcashmere.com and A CUP OF JO. I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could do something like that?” And so I did! I finally got the confidence and I started blogging.

I had no idea of what I was doing! I was super interested in physical health and wellness, almost to a fault. At the time I shared recipes, health tips and yoga stuff. Eventually, the umbrella term of Wellness Wonderland expanded beyond that, because my piqued interest in health and wellness spiraled rather quickly in college into an eating disorder. I was anorexic and orthorexic. I focused a bit too much on healthy and high vibe foods to the point where I was devoid of pleasure in my life.

I think pleasure is one of the most important parts of true holistic wellness and health. That bottom led me to spirituality and holistic living in another sense, which looks at the mind. I think holistic wellness goes far beyond the body and it encompasses the mind and spirit. This led me to the work of many, many teachers: Gabrielle Bernstein (one of my main mentors), Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, the whole gang of like spiritual gurus and rock stars. I became a student and read a ton about self-help and personal development and did much spiritual work. I realized my true passion was teaching spiritual work and the tools that had helped lift me out of that dark place.

I didn’t leave behind my interest in healthy food, healthy living and yoga. I just added in some more things and I am slowly bringing in more pleasure. It’s not being dogmatic about any one thing such as any one specific diet. It’s acknowledging that bio-individuality exists, biodiversity exists and we’re not all meant to eat or live in a certain way or certain space. We’re all super, super unique beings and that’s not honored in the health world and a lot of places. There are a lot of labels and I think the labels are for containers and folders, right? People don’t need labels.

I love your story, how you and the Wellness Wonderland started and evolved. I have a similar story about how I went from architecture to holistic architecture and spaces, and it’s definitely part of my personal journey. It is truly amazing how the universe guides your life and everything synchronizes holistically. You know you’re taking the right path because one thing supports the other and touches every aspect of your life.

I have never really spoken about the Wellness Wonderland while taking everything into account like that. I could very easily just say, “Oh, it’s a space for wellness and happiness,” right? But I think it’s important to tell my story fully.

This quote comes up on almost every single Podcast interview I do:

“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

–Steve Jobs

In every person’s journey, that’s really true! Everyone has the hero’s or heroine’s journey, as Joseph Campbell says. All the puzzle pieces fit together so perfectly when looking at the story and looking back on where you’ve been. However, when you got started, you probably had no idea that A would lead to B which would lead to C. Like for me, I studied broadcast journalism in college. I’m not a TV news reporter like I wanted to be, but all those radio classes I took ended up helping me for the Podcast. I would have never imagined that. Just like that, it all works out. It’s cool to see that looking back.

What are three tips for readers to create their own Wellness Wonderland?

Three things that I think are really crucial are:

1.    Mindfulness and Presence

I think this tip alone can get you really far. When you’re mindful of what you’re doing and you’re really there, that’s when your life becomes a meditation, right? In a recent interview, Oprah asked the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh “How often do you meditate?” He responded: “I don’t meditate every day, I meditate every moment.” When your life can become a meditation and you can be fully present when you’re chopping vegetables or folding laundry or driving… When you are really present while having a conversation or an argument or whatever you’re doing.. When you can fully be there, you can bring your best self. I think we spend so much time multi-tasking. I’m a freakishly good multi-tasker, but there’s something to be said for mindfulness and presence and just being fully there.  

2.    Non-Judgment

Don’t judge yourself! You’re going to mess up all the time, like literally all the time! I mess up, but I try not to beat myself up about it. But this is the practice! Because sometimes I do judge and beat myself up. But it’s silly, and regretting anything is a waste of time. I think that you can be loving towards yourself and speak to yourself kindly. It will take you far and genuinely make you happier. We often speak to ourselves really meanly, right? We can be really mean to ourselves and speak in a way we would never speak to a child; we would never speak that way to the ones we love. So talk to yourself like someone you love and stop judging yourself.

3.    Be Authentic

The final tip, and I could give a billion tips, but the biggest thing is to be authentic. Be who you actually are. Be vulnerable. All people want is for you to be real with them. We go around our lives trying to paint ourselves a certain way. But people are pretty perceptive and even the least perceptive person can pick up on that. People can smell when you’re being fake a mile away. It doesn’t feel good for them and it sure doesn’t feel good for you, so you might as well be real. The people who like you are the ones you want to be around anyways. The people who don’t, you weren’t meant to be around them to begin with so it’s a win – win.

AND… the real you is perfect.

from Katie's Instagram @katiedalebout

from Katie's Instagram @katiedalebout

So Katie, how do you create holistic spaces in your home and workspaces?

Yay! I love this question so much because I never get to talk about this but it’s really important to me! My taste is minimal. I really appreciate minimalism and I de-clutter as much as possible, almost to a fault. I like to keep things simple because choices really stress me out. If I can have things as simple and as clean as possible, it's really advantageous.

I have an altar, which is also my bookshelf, with a heart that I made from scrapbook paper. It’s on my wall and I love it. It’s a focal point for my room. (see above!) The colors that I really like are white, gold and black with pops of other colors like pink. I really just try to keep everything really minimalistic, spacious, open and clean. I love all the feng shui tips that like I’ve gotten from you. I absolutely love feng shui and strive to think about it in every decision I make. Even when I go to work in a coffee shop I’ll sit in the commanding position. It’s always in the back of my mind. I try to face the door like you taught me and I’m trying to use all my burners. I really, really take it to heart, and it’s really impacted me.

Check in next Sunday for the rest of the interview where Katie talks about Enlightened Eating and incorporating new wellness habits for the new year! 

by Anjie Cho

Katie Dalebout is an author, speaker, yoga teacher, social media butterfly, life-coach, podcast host and most importantly, mayor of the Wellness Wonderland. Katie believes that every detail counts, positive thoughts make miracles, authenticity creates strong relationships, and that every day you should dress, eat, and act like it’s a special occasion.

With her grounded Midwestern roots and astronomical dreams, Katie has taken her passions for communication & wellness and blended them together to share them with the masses on this platform. And elsewhere including Over The Moon, MindBodyGreen, The Beauty Bean and Bella Life. 

With her thoughts, Katie truly lives in her own…well…wonderland, visit her there often and create your own state of  bliss. If you’d like more inspiration from the girl behind the blog, hop on over to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Be well…

Everyday Uses for Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is a delicious addition to many salads, and it makes a great, refreshing twist on water, but as it turns out, food and drinks aren't the only places lemon juice shines. Check out these awesome ways to use lemon juice in your home and everyday life. Score some holistic living points just by using lemons creatively! 

Refresh Your Kitchen

Lemon juice is actually very useful in refreshing various parts of your kitchen, from your smelly refrigerator to that worn-in cutting board. After removing anything moldy, unusable or just super smelly from your refrigerator, squirt some lemon juice on a cotton ball and let it camp out for a few hours inside. Then enjoy a fresher smell when you open the door. 

This trick works for cutting boards too. If you cook at all (and even if you're raw), you probably use your cutting board for a variety of fruits and veggies, ranging from onions to peppers to ginger to tomatoes...the list goes on. Chances are, no matter how clean your cutting board is, it doesn't smell too good. Lemon juice to the rescue! Just rub a clean cutting board down with half a lemon, or wash it in lemon juice for a kitchen tool that smells like new! An extra perk to this is that lemon juice disinfects as well! No salmonella in this kitchen!

Refresh Your Skin

Lemon juice, with water, can work wonders on your skin. It works like this: lemon water reduces the body's production of free-radicals, the bodily critters responsible for all sorts of age-tattlers, including wrinkles and sunspots. Simply put, reduce these substances in the body, and you reduce your skin's tendency to succumb to fine lines and sun damage. It's as easy as adding a little lemon to your daily agua intake.

Heal Yourself

This one is especially important, since we're heading into fall and winter, the season for colds, sore throats and every other life-hindering ailment one can think of. When you start to see symptoms of bacterial infection (sore throat, cough, etc.) take a few hits of lemon water for quick results. Lemons have a certain anti-bacterial characteristic which makes them super helpful in these situations! Much cheaper than a doctor visit!

Lemon juice is exceptional for detoxification as well. Most of us want to eat a better diet, but many of us don't. And even if we do, there are still a number of toxins that make their way into our bloodstreams on a regular basis. Not a fan of toxic blood? Up your daily lemon water intake to combat this naturally. While you're at it, take note that drinking lemon water also helps keep the digestive system on track, strengthens the immune system, balances out our body's pH balance and so much more! 

Did you have any idea you could do so much with a lemon? And they're some of the most affordable fruits available! Load up on these goodies and keep a collection on hand for staying healthy and keeping a fresh home year round. 

by Anjie Cho

Wellness and the Holistic Home with Olivia Lane

Olivia Lane is one of my favorite twitter personalities. She always has so many creative ideas, crafts and recipes, and she's agreed to share a bit about what she does with Holistic Spaces!

AC: You focus on wellness, today I wanted to talk specifically about creating a holistic home. How are some ways you help your clients do that?

OL: During my 90 Day Beautiful Body, Radiant Life program I help my clients identify toxic household products and replace them with healthier ones, like replacing conventional cleaning products with natural and homemade ones. That's something that has an obvious impact on their physical wellness. 

That said, I love to help my clients notice the deeper connection between the health of their home and their overall wellness. How you do one thing is how you do everything. Many of us want to be healthier but it's hard to jump in Day 1 and make changes to our diet, at least ones that will stick. So why not start by making changes to our home and how we care for it? Putting more love and attention into where you live will absolutely open the door to putting more love and attention into other areas of your life. 

One of the first things I have my clients do is commit to having at least one meal a day seated at their dining table and using real (not paper or plastic) dining ware without TV, radio, internet or reading material. I don't care if you're eating a double cheeseburger from a fast food joint-- we'll get to that later-- but any food ingested this way is going to be so much more nourishing.

What are 3 simple tips that the readers can do to create their own holistic homes?

Firstly, have friends and family over often, at least once a month. It's so important to have that love energy in there. (I find having someone over also gives me momentum to tidy up, which is an added benefit).

Secondly, cook a meal at home at least once a week, even if you think you can't cook. It's healthy. It gets the creative juices flowing. It also strengthens the bond between your physical body, your soul and your home environment.

Thirdly, identify how you want to feel in the world and think about how you can create that feeling in your home. For example, my core desires are to feel radiant, abundant, creative, and connected. I love keeping a bouquet of local wildflowers from the farmer's market on my kitchen counter because to me they represent those qualities. 

How have you created your own holistic space?

My husband and I recently moved from a house to a small one bedroom apartment (which is sort of like a studio because we use the bedroom as an office). For us, creating a holistic space was so much about simplifying. We're constantly evaluating and re-evaluating what is truly important to us, what do we want to make space for in our lives and what can we let go of. 

It's so important to me to be intentional about what I invite into my space. Not just with physical stuff, but with lights and noise too. I try to minimize background distraction. I don't play music unless I'm actually listening to it. I hate having the TV on unless I'm watching it, it's difficult when you live with a partner, but we're doing our best. I've also been challenging myself to use the internet less. This helps me to reduce stress and to truly focus on and enjoy the people, objects, and experiences that are meaningful to me.

You're a big fan of healthy eating as well, right? Can you share one of your favorite recipes with us?

How about this creative way of using leftover rice...for breakfast?!

You'll need:

  • 1 1/2 cup cooked, leftover brown rice

  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk (I like unsweetened vanilla coconut.)

  • 1 large carrot (shredded)

  • 1 small handful of raisins (about 1/4 cup)

  • 1 small handful of dried shredded coconut (about 1/4 cup)

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 3 supershakes of cinnamon (about 1 tsp)

  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

  • weeshake of nutmeg

  • pinch of sea salt

  • Toppings (per bowl): 1 tsp coconut oil and a few crushed walnuts. Delicious with optional fairy-dusting of brown sugar or maple syrup. If you're adverse to sugar, I bet a few slices of banana would be yummy too.

Here's what you do:

  1. Put 1/2 cup coconut milk and all the other ingredients (except the toppings) in a medium saucepan.

  2. Heat for about 7-10 minutes on low heat, until warm and the flavors combine. Stir often. Add more milk as necessary.

  3. Divide into bowls and cover with toppings.

Serves two hungry people who are serious about breakfast. Can also serve up to four people who prefer a light breakfast and are somehow not concerned that lunch is 4 hours away. This could also be served cold as a rice pudding dessert.

by Anjie Cho

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Olivia helps women kick sugar cravings to the curb and put out the welcome mat for a hot body, tons of energy, and unbridled joy. She empowers her clients to work with nature and their intuition to transform their health and reduce risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and depression. You can learn more about her work at itsolivialane.com.