Rachel W. Cole

I ask myself what I’m TRULY hungry for. I don’t do this just everyday, but throughout everyday.

My hungers are my north-stars. Whether for potato chips or prayer. I trust my hungers to lead me in the direction my life wants to flow. It’s up to me to ask and to listen. It’s also up to me to tune into my deeper hungers. Often times we live so fast that we feed hungers that are really about something else. We watch television when we want to be with friends. We exercise when we want to feel loved. We buy something when we want to feel beautiful. No hunger, not for TV, exercise, or shopping, is bad. I have simply founded that slowing down and inquiring without judgement leads me to my truest hungers. Then I feast.

I’m left with a beautiful trusting relationship with myself and no fear that my hungers will be denied or ignored.

Rachel Cole is a certified life coach, celebrated retreat host, instigator of ease, and hunger-satisfier. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she spent years steeped in the vibrant Bay Area food community while earning her MA in Holistic Health Education. Rachel is on a mission to guide women towards knowing and feeding their truest hungers. Through all her varied endeavors, Rachel continues to be an inimitable inspiration for each of us to feast on our lives. Find Rachel at RachelWCole.com

Alexandra Franzen

I’ll admit, I struggled to come up with a Real-World Ritual that didn’t feel trite, mundane, or downright embarrassing. But then it came to me: rest. My bed is the center of my studio apartment — and my creative refuel station. I rarely let a day go by without wrapping myself in ultra-soft blankets for a few minutes of rest, pause, silence, and re-balancing in the middle of the day. Or evening. Or… anytime. I’m so obsessed with snuggling, my boyfriend says I should have a subscription to Cuddling Monthly. (If only such a magazine existed!)

Lush textiles & dreamy naps bring me back into my body. Career ambitions are muted, for a moment. My breathing slows. Oxytocin flows. Everything softens.

Allowing yourself time to curl into a fetal position, savasana or good old-fashioned spoon with someone you love isn’t laziness — it’s human.

Slow down. Rest up. Bliss out.

Alexandra Franzen: Promotional Wordsmith & Digital Scribe. Find Alexandra at AlexandraFranzen.com

Maria Gamb

Nearly everyday I start my day with a grounding ritual.  I will get up early, quickly make myself presentable – ponytail, clean face and teeth and pull on comfy clothing – then head down to my local café for an Americano (espresso with hot water and a little milk).  Once the cup is in hand my ritual begins.  Slow sips while doing my daily reading.  Usually it’s of a spiritual nature.  This helps me find my center for the day, reminds me why I do what I do here and usually provides a well timed lesson for whatever it is I’m going through at the moment. More sipping.  Out comes my journal and I write for anywhere between 15-45minutes depending upon my needs.  This time is about me.  Not my partner, family, business or pets. Just me.  No worries. No cares. Once I’m done, I bound back up the hill to my office and begin my day.  All this before 9am.  There have been times I miss my ritual but I do my best to keep the reading and writing portions in tact everyday.

Maria Gamb served for twenty-plus years as an executive in businesses valued at upwards of 100 million dollars. She is CEO of NMS Communications, where she mentors executives and entrepreneurs claim their ability to lead profitable, innovative and effective businesses by creating relationships and partnerships that get results! She resides in NYC where she mentors women in business how to be the kind of leader others want to follow, work with and aspire to be. Sign up for her free newsletter the [Change Agent] today www.mariagamb.com

Mara Glatzel

One, very practical way that I attend to my own self-care on a daily basis is through creating time and space in my schedule for a pleasure-filled activity of my own choosing. This may seem ambiguous, and it is, because this choosing is highly personal and will depend on what it is that lights YOU up and makes you feel like a human being again. Working on the computer daily often makes me feel as though there is always something that I should be doing – an email to respond to, a post to write, a client to  find. The immediacy of online communication can, at times, cause me to feel as though my time is an extension of those around me, and that in order to be successful I need to busy, all day, every day. I keep my heart full of peace, gratitude, and beauty by making a date with myself to unplug and do something PURELY for the fun of it, without a trace of obligation or work. These days, my daily self-care time is filled up to the brim with vampire stories and the magical realm of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I take care each day to pick up my book, go out on my deck, and submerge myself head first in another realm – one of fantastic imagination. Reading these types of stories is the ultimate escape and home-coming for me, as it suspends my business-driven ambition and provides me the opportunity to do something that I deeply enjoy – read for fun. Other favorite self-care activities of mine include: a dip in the ocean, hula hooping in my front yard, and taking an afternoon nap – each beloved because of their reminder that I am so much more than my work, and that part of myself requires daily nourishing.

Mara Glatzel is a self-love coach + clinical social worker, and she works with women who are ready to create the lives they want — and deserve. She’s also a writer, and her blog — Medicinal Marzipan — has inspired thousands of women to heal their relationships with their bodies, and treat themselves with relentless compassion. Catch up with her on facebook, twitter, or join her body-loving mailing list for bi-monthly secret swapping and insider news.

Denise Hughes

My self care ritual usually takes place around midnight (at the end of my day), when the house is nice and quiet, hubby and both dogs sound asleep in bed. I light a candle and connect with Source through prayer…asking for continued blessings of protection in the lives of my friends, family and clients. The stillness, quiet and candle light allow me to sink deeply into gratitude and create a heart connection with Source. This connection is the most important connection I have in my life. During this time, answers come to me about how to handle certain situations in my life…wisdom is gifted to me through this connection. It is a time where I experience deep peace and a knowing that my prayers have been heard.

My connection with Source is my greatest experience of abundance in my life.

Denise works at the intersection of heart, soul, & money. Some dub her a financial anthropologist. Her approach is holistic. Her belief is that one’s emotional portfolio (thoughts, emotions, practices), rule one’s financial portfolio (earnings, savings, spending, giving). Want a different financial picture? Then, let’s take an inner look at what is keeping you from creating your desire..Find Denise at www.denisehughes.org

Lisa Johnson

My daily ritual is waking up naturally … after years of early morning rising to work out early morning clients I have wiggled my schedule so that I only wake up with the sun.  A little light peeps through the blinds and ambles across my bed.  Sometimes I don’t awaken until it touches my face, sometimes I watch it crawl over my husband on it’s way to me.

It allows me to greet the day gently, no harsh music blaring from a tinny clock radio.  It gives me time to find my center and think about the day ahead and the priorities for the day.  A little peace before the hectic day begins, it’s magical.

Lisa Johnson owns Modern Pilates in Brookline, MA and is a fitness blogger at LisaJohnsonFitness.com.  She is frequently found on Twitter @LisaJohnson.

Tory Johnson

I’m wrapped in my work 24/7.  I don’t drink coffee; my work is my fuel, it’s my oxygen.  But there are just a few non-work things that are present every day and make me feel whole and special.  First, my 15 (sometimes 20!) minute showers (I know, I know…not good for the environment, but I’ll make it up another way), which I cherish every morning (doesn’t matter how much chaos fills the air…I never ever cut this short) with the delicious exotic aromas of shampoos and scrubs filling the steamy air.  Pure heaven.  Then, my favorite moments are very basic rituals with my kids.  Before my babies (now 15) head off to school, they’re smothered with kisses from me, followed by my constant reminders to be safe when crossing the busy New York City streets and riding the subway.  I also remind them to be good to each other, and they always have the same reply, “Mom, you know we’re best friends.” Makes my heart soar.  My husband Peter and I walk 14 blocks to work — and even though we’re together 24/7 — this is a 15 minute opportunity to share our daily agendas without interruption.   In the evening, all of us go around the dinner table to share highs and lows of the day.  Earlier this year, that was renamed peaks and pits, something my daughter says was routine in the Kardashian house.  (In her world, if it works for Kim, let’s do it!)  No matter what it’s called, this simple framing of our very candid conversations keeps me so closely connected to my children and their world.  Nothing brings me more peace or helps erase traces of guilt for working so much than those always-revealing moments.  Gives me sweet dreams (mostly) every night.  Even though I’m glued to my Blackberry and thrive on being connected at all times, the moments I cherish most are technology-free and focus on the people (not projects) who give me the greatest strength and purpose.

Tory Johnson is wild about women’s career success. In addition to her popular weekly segments on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” she runs Women For Hire (employment) and Spark & Hustle (entrepreneurship) and travels the country helping women turn passion and purpose to profit. Tory is a New York Times best selling author whose latest book is “Spark & Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Business Now.”  Connect with her at Facebook.com/Tory or Twitter.com/ToryJohnson

Erika Lyremark

I call these High-Impact Habits, and for the most part these are happening 90% of the time…the only things I do everyday is drink coffee (honestly my favorite part of the morning) take my fiber (happy colon) and sleep 8 hours. And then there are the green drinks, the little manifesting (Nirvana) notebook I carry in my purse with all the things I want to manifest that I look at and do the happy dance when I think about it (but don’t do it everyday) I have an altar set up for The Morning Whip and when I dust I give it a wink and offer up my gratitude. And then there’s The Morning Whip. My anchor, my joy, my blessing. Wow even though I’m the head Whip Leader every month I learn something new, have a blast and am so honored to be in the company of such amazing women (and get paid for it too!).

Erika Lyremark (Lira-mark) coaches and inspires smart businesswomen all over the world to empower themselves with her easy-to-follow but hard-to-forget signature 30-day course, The Morning Whip. Every businesswoman has a superhero inside her and Erika brings her out so you can conquer the world!

Michelle Pippin

Over a decade ago, I was reading a book that rocked my world. It was called WishCraft by Barbara Sher and it encouraged me to write out the details of my ideal day. You know, the day in which I had no money pressures, no family stressors, no kid troubles, and nothing conflicting with what would be MY perfect day. I wrote out when I’d wake up, what I’d eat, where I’d have my coffee, what my house would look like, and what I’d be doing for a living too.

I loved that exercise, but it took me about 18 months to make it practical. The “ideal day” lived only in my head. Finally, one day I dusted that journal off, found my ideal day description and asked, “What parts of this can I have in my life every single day starting right now?” And, my own real world rituals were born.

I decided that I could have an ideal morning every single morning by waking up early — before my husband or any of my three kids. In that time, I’d enjoy a steaming cup of coffee, pray and journal. I’d look out over the land surrounding my house and just enjoy this serene start to my day — just like I’d described in my ideal day. Sometimes, I have only 15 minutes alone. Other days, I’ll enjoy a good couple of hours reading, journaling, visioneering my future. But, I have this little piece of the ideal every single day. It’s a great way for me to take care of me.

B. Michelle Pippin is the undisputed authority on creating clients for your business, delivering real-world strategies designed to do what other business “gurus” promise… an increase to your bottom line! If your business is pregnant with potential, and you are ready to give birth to profit, you’ve got to speak to Michelle at www.bmichellepippin.com

Ruth Sherman

I get up early (ish) and read the papers. I love learning about what’s new in the world and it helps me think. I especially like reading opinions – all sides. This, I feel, enables me to be more empathetic.

Another thing I love to do is listen to classical music on my iPod while taking a long walk around the beach. This completely clears my head and touches things in me nothing else does. I’m unable to think about anything else… just listen. Unfortunately this only happens about 3 days a week.

Ruth works with CEOs, Celebrities and Entrepreneurs to help them become charismatic speakers, presenters and video and media darlings so they can reach many more clients faster and get more business. But you don’t have to be famous to work with her! She can be reached at RuthSherman.com

Lisa Claudia Briggs

For my entire life I’ve been a lark, up at dawn to enjoy the time alone watching as the day begins. I love to get up before all of the males in my house. I love the sounds and sights of mornings and start my daily rituals during this time. I’ve had to give up my morning coffee and a couple of other things, but I haven’t given up my time of quiet meditation, prayer, and energy clearing.

Some form of prayer and connecting with the Divine, asking to be guided, asking to be blessed and protected, asking to be reminded that I don’t have to do it all myself makes me feel cherished safe and creates sacred space different from anything else that unfolds during the day. I also have a practice of chakra-clearing and different ways of sitting in quiet or meditation. This combination serves me beautifully and when I skip any or all of them, it’s not the same and I definitely suffer for it.

I adore rituals, love to make contact with the sacred, love to feel uplifted even for a few moments. In the summer I also like to sit on my back steps with my dogs and watch the birds every morning. All of these things open my heart, quiet my mind, and let me feel appreciation for this life.

Lisa helps women stop breaking their promises to themselves through a combination of intuitive counseling, energy work, and other creative approaches. Find her at Intuitivebody.com and on Facebook.com/Intuitivebody