You’re imperfect. Life is messy. Show up anyway. I’ll help you figure out how.

Hi there. I’m Krista, mama of three beautiful kiddos (14, 20, and forever 23). My beautiful son left the world on Oct 23/19 at 23 years of age.

26 years ago I  married a West African man who I found in Québec when I had sworn off relationships forever, and later dragged back to Alberta with me. I come from a big, colorful family of 13 and have the utmost respect for my mom and dad (both left this world way too young from cancer) who lived humble and simple but purposeful lives, fully aligned to their core values.

My life has been a journey of learning to love and care for myself well. A journey to freedom.

I have an addictive personality and this gets me into trouble if I am not living fully conscious, eyes and heart wide open. I have walked through suicide attempts, anxiety and panic attacks, chronic pain, loss & grief, binge eating & body shame. Not necessarily in that order.

For most of my life, I did not find living easy. I have needed to choose to live. I consciously and determinedly choose to show up fully to this imperfect and beautiful life of mine.

Along the way, I’ve learned that joy and pain can coexist and that life does not have to be perfect to be beautiful.

I’ve learned to forgive myself for all my struggle and messiness, learned to approve of myself, and realized that I am far stronger and more resilient than I ever understood before. I’ve put down strong, hardy roots of self-awareness and self-compassion and help my clients do this life-giving work too.

One day I decided to like myself. I embraced my “good enough” and continued the soul-stretching work of quieting the noise of perfectionism, comparison, and fear so I could show up fully to this imperfect and beautiful life of mine.

 

And then late 2018 I had an interesting experience in which I saw in my mind’s eye a big gaping wound being stitched up and *heard* the clear, resounding thought: “this is no longer your story. You will write a new story.”

I thought I knew what this meant. I thought it meant that 2019 would feel amazing, joyful. But what it meant was that I would walk my son home. That we would walk through the hardest year of our life and somehow not lose our footing.

(Not sure you’re in the right place? START HERE)

I’ve had other experiences like this before that have influenced the trajectory of my life. 17 years ago I saw women linking arms and marching across the land, lifting up others as they went, journeying to freedom.

I’ve had a dream in which I felt called to BE a safe house for others. To put a light in the window and make space for other weary travellers to rest, be fed, and equipped for the journey ahead.

I *heard* in my spirit one day, years ago, that I was a light bearer – I was to bear the light of hope and encouragement to others. Although I was so imperfect and messy, I was to offer the light I had.

Life takes us places we never could have imagined or planned for ourselves.

(LEARN HOW YOU CAN WORK WITH ME OR LEARN ABOUT MY EDUCATION)

My background is in French Immersion Education (6 years for a B.Ed. and to become bilingual, although I never completed my final practicum so don’t actually hold a degree), I spent years homeschooling and raising a strong & stubborn family (which totally should have earned me a Masters!), and then studied more in natural nutrition and functional health and today serve women-around the globe as a Writer & Joyful Living Educator.

I work part-time and am constantly walking out the tension between my love of a new learning curve with my need for rest and permission to just BE. I need tons of solitude and calm, an abundance of rest, and swaths of unscheduled time in order to be healthy. Body, Spirit, Soul healthy.

For those of you geeky folk like me, I’m a strong introvert and stubborn questioner with rebel leanings, ISFJ (often mistaken for an IN), HSP, and Enneagram 1w2.

I started my “Live on Purpose Facebook group” as a space to meet growth-minded people and offer education and encouragement for handcrafting deeply rooted lives of purpose, health and JOY. Come on over!

I think STORY or truth-telling is healing and believe that by sharing our stories we break shame and lift up the light of hope & encouragement for each other.

 

I think STORY or truth-telling is healing and believe that by sharing our stories we break shame and lift up the light of hope & encouragement for each other. As such, my blog is primarily a tool for sharing stories to remind you that you are not alone. That you are not the only one who struggles. That there is hope.

I take all my struggle and study and offer it to others needing to be reminded that they – you – matter. That you are worthy of acceptance and compassion right now – Imperfect and beautiful.

Not when you lose 50 pounds or finally break that addiction or get your life perfectly pulled together. Right now in the middle of the storm.

From one messy human to another, you are welcome here.

Krista xo

*older family photo by magpie3studio