1-855-452-0707Join the Crowd and Crowd It Out!
Slip into your most comfy footgear – and get moving. Summer is in full swing! Whether it’s running through hilly terrain, taking brisk walks to pick up takeout or signing on for Pilates, it feels good to be in motion. The key is finding activities you truly enjoy instead of turning exercise into a dreaded chore. I’m all about the Peloton bike and walking in my new neighborhood. What works for you? My day isn’t complete without some kind of workout. Summer is also an ideal time to focus on healthy eating – think banana strawberry smoothies, colorful vegetable medleys, and veggie burgers smothered in sautéed mushrooms.
Tune Into Health
One way to make better food choices is to subscribe to a philosophy called “crowd it out.” This concept can make a significant difference in your overall health. If you fill up on healthier foods, then you won’t have room to load up on junk. Instead of feeling pressured to cut empty calories, think of “crowding it out” as turning your focus to nutrition. It’s akin to going to the grocery store on an empty stomach. You’re more compelled to latch onto anything and everything salty and sweet if you don’t have anything in your stomach. Crowding it Out can also be applied to exercise. For every minute you’re on the treadmill, you can’t be glued to the couch. If we fill our space with better choices, we’ll naturally “crowd out” less desirable options – and outcomes.
Read Up!
Meet PIVOT Coach Michelle Lorenz who turned to horses to help her heal and who, subsequently, became an equine therapist. A clinical psychologist, Michelle is also a registered yoga teacher who is helping her clients transform their lives through PIVOT’s powerful tools and techniques. Find out how! Life is better than ever for PIVOT client Kyle, who has become a better father through the PIVOT process and is no longer a super anxious attacher. Check out What’s Happening at PIVOT. There’s something here for everyone, so read on.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Warmly,
Coaches Corner
Michelle Helps Clients PIVOT Towards Wellness
Before Coach Michelle Lorenz discovered PIVOT back in 2015, she relied on a quote by Maya Angelou to anchor her: Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
Plan of Action
“This message,” she continues, “conveys a compassionate understanding in that we’re all doing the best we can with what we have, while offering a call to action regarding taking accountability for our personal and relational development. This sentiment speaks to the heart of PIVOT. Think, Feel, and Live Better.” Michelle, who has been married to Cory since 2019, has a two-year-old son named Adam and a three-year-old Golden Retriever named Tino.
Wild Child
From an early age, Michelle has also found immense comfort when surrounded by animals. “I was a horse crazy kid. The adults in my life insisted this was just a phase, but they were wrong. Animals – and especially horses – became repairs for me even as a kid,” says Michelle, who grew up in San Francisco’s Bay Area.
Attitude of Gratitude
A resourceful child and teenager, Michelle found adaptive and maladaptive ways to survive and cope with her challenging life circumstances. She feels lucky to have had horses around her, along with being exposed to life-changing mentorship.
Love to Learn
Eager to study equine therapy coupled with a desire to leave home motivated Michelle to attend college. It was during this time she discovered a love of learning and meaning-making through story. She changed her major from Equestrian Science to English Literature. It was also during these young adult years that she began to reckon with relationship hurts and trauma – and began her journey of relational recovery.
Back to School
Michelle put her horsing-around aside while earning a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology from The New College of California in San Francisco – a program emphasizing feminism and social justice – and becoming a licensed mental health professional (LMFT) in 2009.
Horsing Around
In early 2016, she was back at the ranch when she met PIVOT Coach Gaby Fabian who heads PIVOT’s equine program. Michelle earned her certified Equine Interaction Professional (CEIP) and joined the PIVOT community as a coach four years later.
Think. Feel. Do.
She continues to be fascinated by the way horses remain acutely attuned to what’s happening inside a person. “These powerful animals,” Michelle says, “mirror your emotions and provide feedback even when you can’t do so for yourself. They are wired for connection and protection just like us. And like us, they are constantly negotiating bonding, belonging, and boundaries.” Michelle is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT) avid hiker and has an array of powerful tools and techniques to help guide her clients through the PIVOT process.
Make the Connection
Says Michelle: “I’m committed to helping my clients connect to thinking, feeling, and doing in ways that are experiential and actionable. That’s the beauty of PIVOT’s highly holistic and integrative curriculum.”
Client Spotlight
Kyle Goes Deep When In Need of Repairs
“Before PIVOT, I was a super anxious attacher who rushed into commitments without properly vetting my partners. The result was a series of unhealthy relationships. I’m currently dating a woman who lives outside of Denver (I live in San Diego) who is also an anxious attacher. We communicate honestly and understand each other. This is an opportunity for us to get to know each other without moving too quickly,” says PIVOT Client Kyle.
Learn to PIVOT
Instead of focusing on the negative, Kyle is using his recent divorce as a stepping stone on his wellness journey. “I’ve come to see this time in my life as a catalyst for self-growth and improvement. The PIVOT process is helping me become the best version of myself through self-exploration, making me much more aware of my patterns. I’m learning to pivot when I need the guidance of my healthy adult.”
Risk Management
Kyle, who works with a PIVOT Coach, found the 5-Day Men’s Glass House Relational Retreat to be a game changer. “Most of the men in my group came to realize that their inner child was abused and even traumatized. Conversely, my inner child was loved and supported. It was my adolescent who was full of trauma from unhealthy relationships. This part of self felt completely free to explore and connect without making sure that the risks I took were in my best interest.”
Father Knows Best
The PIVOT curriculum is also helping Kyle raise his now 13-year-old daughter. “PIVOT is allowing me to become more acutely aware when my daughter is engaging in unhealthy patterns. What’s more, I can share the tools I’ve acquired through the process to help redirect her to healthier behaviors.”
Repair Shop
As for healthy repairs, Kyle takes a deep dive – as in scuba diving and underwater photography – when he finds himself nervous around connecting with others. “I’ve learned that being underwater is my happy place where stress literally washes away.”
When it comes to PIVOT, Kyle shares: “Just do it and watch your life change for the better in so many ways.”
What’s Happening
Calling all Alumni
Healthier Hour – Our next Healthier Hour is Monday, August 21st at 5:30 pm (PST). Last month, we had a great turnout with hand-on-heart moments and lots of laughter! Having a shared language is so much fun. Call Kayla for information and to get the link to join us.
Ready for Healthy Adult 2.0?
Join us for our all-inclusive 5-Day Healthy Adult 2.0 Relationship Retreat held at the oh-so-healing Glass House from October 2 – 6, 2023. Tailored to alumni who have already experienced our Relational 1.0 Retreat, our 2.0 participants dig deeper into the PIVOT curriculum and come away with even more empowering tools and techniques to help them continue to transform their relationships – and their lives. We have a few slots left, so click here to learn more and to sign up. Or, reach out to Kayla in Admissions.
Male Matters (Healthy Adult 1.0)
Join us from September 4 – 8 at the 5-Day Men’s Healthy Adult Relational Glass House Retreat. Be seen, heard and understood. Participants gain a greater understanding of their relational interactions and leave with tools and techniques to approach relationships – and life – by PIVOTing from fantasy to reality, confusion to clarity and from isolation to connection. It’s never too late to transform your relationships – and your life! Click here to learn more and to sign up. Or reach out to Kayla in Admissions.
Embrace the Sound of Silence
One-Day Silent Meditation/Yoga Retreat
Sunday, October 14, 2023 (Register by 8/19) – Green Gulch Farm, Muir Beach, Marin, County, California
Priceless Gifts
Gift yourself permission to dig deep and explore what’s within at a comprehensive one-day Silent Meditation and Yoga Retreat at Spirit Rock. Take this unique opportunity to focus on your most important relationship – the relationship you have with yourself. Discover gentle yoga, calming meditations, magical walks on the beach or through inspiring gardens that all lead to profound introspection. While we may be proud of how much we can do on any given day, we also need to explore the beauty of not doing. And that’s what this Retreat is all about. Embrace the spirit of curiosity and take in the joy of quiet space – and all that comes with it. Join us and give yourself the present of being present. Your divine host is our beloved Deb Reid, Somatic Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT); Certified Relationship Coach (CRC with PIVOT) and PIVOT Glass House Facilitator. Click here to learn more and to register. Join us to celebrate the here and now – you might be pleasantly surprised by what you uncover.