This summer my husband and I traveled with our friends to Italy. We visited Corvara at the heart of the Dolomites in Northern Italy, Lake Garda, Cinque Terre, and Tuscany.

The trip was an absolute blast as we slipped into the relaxed Italian lifestyle. We enjoyed seasonal Italian meals rich in fresh locally grown produce, meats, fish and cheese. Italians are passionate about food. Cuisine is like a religion – and it’s the quality of the ingredients that’s most sacred. In Italy they say “la miglior cucina comincia dal mercato” (the best cuisine starts from the market). This is evident as you visit local restaurants that have small menus that are shaped by what’s fresh in the market on a given day. The freshness of the ingredients makes simple dishes taste phenomenal and inspiring.

Among the highlights of the trip was the absolutely amazing and challenging hiking days in the Dolomites, a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps. The area has one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes I’ve ever visited, with deep long valleys that make you feel like you are in the midst of a scene from the movie The Sound of Music.

Another highlight was the personal cooking class we took in Tuscany with Lesley and Paula. Although Paula doesn’t speak English, she is a very savvy Italian cook and she gets her point across! We learned how to make amazing Tuscan dishes including hand-made ravioli and a savory onion tart and tiramisu. After the cooking lesson, we enjoyed our creation on a beautiful terrace and the wines Lesley selected for us were perfectly matched to each course of our meal. Check out the Onion & Goats Cheese Tart recipe here!

Last week I presented a lecture/workshop titled: “Rushing Dentist Syndrome: The Impact of the Never-Ending Patient List on your Health and Waist” to over 60 dentists. I shared with them the connection between metabolism and stress and offered 10 tips on how to nourish your life and manage stress more effectively.

I thank the dentists who attended for their positive feedback and their enthusiasm about living the Smart Life.

In May 2013, I attended my first IIN Live Event in NYC. This event brings together current IIN students for an inspiring, motivational and educational weekend. Joshua Rosenthal, the founder of Integrative Nutrition, brings together nutrition and health experts from all areas of wellness and health. Joshua’s inspirational exercises and discussions were woven among lectures from guest experts, almost magically transforming students into health coaches!

I left this conference even more excited about my decision to evolve my psychology career into health coaching. From Andrew Weil and Dan Buettner to Donna Gates and Joe Cross, each speaker inspired me to spread the knowledge of how the way we nourish our bodies can heal us, transform us and help us achieve our goals and prevent illness. I felt blessed to be surrounded by so many caring, soul-centered people who share my vision to transform the world by transforming our lifestyle. At IIN live, I was touched by a “…ripple effect to transform the world!” I’m ready to share that ripple effect with you!

Last month, I attended the S.H.E. Summit in New York City. This two-day event was organized by women’s leadership and lifestyle expert Claudia Chan. The conference was attended by women of all age groups, ethnicities and professional backgrounds. The speakers included 40 women in successful positions who reflected upon their achievements and shared practical leadership advice about how women can grow their business or career, make shifts in their life to achieve greater balance and happiness, and expand their networking with other amazing women. The “sisterhood is powerful,” said one speaker, an observation that resonated through the attendees and experts.

High off the energy of thousands of women who participated in the S.H.E. Summit, who gathered to celebrate, collaborate and share, I was particularly inspired by Dondeena Bradley, VP of design and development, nutrition ventures, at Pepsico, who said, “Your best self requires your whole self.” Often women feel guilty about cultivating their careers, business, family, health or spirituality. It is as if devoting time to our personal goals is somehow overindulgent. What l learned from my experiences as a mother, spouse and career woman is that I am at my best when I attend to all my goals, all my needs and all my aspirations.

I am at my best when I am everything I need to be me. Lubov Azria, chief creative officer at BCBGMAXAZRIA, said, “Inspire people to be better than they can imagine for themselves.”

This is my goal at Smart Life Health Coaching. I want to inspire you to be your best, to be your whole self! I can imagine that. And I hope you can imagine that for yourself, too. You deserve it.

SRCD Biennial Meeting in Seattle, WA, April 19-20, 2013.

The SRCD Biennial meeting provides an opportunity for thousands of child development professionals and researchers worldwide to share the latest findings about the field. Participants present multidisciplinary research in the area of human development based on empirical research, intervention and teaching. Many of the topics addressed this year were relevant to child health and obesity.

Two of my presentations focused on emotional development in ethnically diverse children. My research showed that the development of emotion understanding in young toddlers and the parenting strategies used to scaffold these emotional skills vary across ethnic groups and reflect the unique cultural values and goals of each group. What can we learn this type of information? One important lesson is how the design and implementation of programs designed to impact a child’s emotional, social and overall health must fit his ethnic diversity. One message or strategy will not fit all kids. Similarly, when designing successful health-related programs that address overweight and obese children, we need to consider their unique cultural background.

SRCD Presentation Titles:

Kahana-Kalman R., et al. (2013). Mother’s Regulation Strategies in Response to Children’s Disappointment in Ethnically Diverse Groups.

Shee, E., Kahana-Kalman, R. & Tamis-LeMonda, C. (2013). The Development of Emotion Understanding in Ethnically Diverse Children.