Intelligence: the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
TLD Intel: a monthly roundup of events, articles, books, videos and podcasts to help you live The Life Delicious!
I just got back from my annual wellness retreat at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel and it was AWESOME.
I hope you can join us for the next one from January 27-30, 2023!!
It was truly an incredible experience, after 2 years of very little in-person social gatherings, to come together with an amazing group of like-minded people to talk about wellness and share our plans to live a happier, healthier, more mindful life.
And it was so wonderful to stay in Canada’s #1 hotel and be totally pampered – with incredible rooms and views (the sunrises were epic!!) – and be so well nourished with truly divine food (and not have to do the dishes!!).
Sunrise views from my Ocean View guestroom
One of my takeaways was the reinforced belief that a good life rests on a strong foundation of mindful, simple pleasures:
✨connection to nature
✨connection to others
✨connection to self
✨good food
✨good sleep
✨plenty of physical activity
✨quiet moments to reflect on what really matters, what’s working, what’s not working, and to take in all of the good
Meaningful work that excites and energizes you is another pleasure that makes life good. I am so grateful to do what I do!!
Weaving pleasure throughout your life makes the painful, difficult, hard moments more manageable.
>>> How do you weave pleasure into daily living?
Here’s to living the good life!
Now, onto my Top 3 picks for February 2022:
1. PODCAST: Dr. James Hollis – What Is Wanting to Find Expression Through You? | Sounds True: Insights at the Edge
"In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Dr. James Hollis, an author, Jungian analyst, former director of the Jung Society of Washington, DC, and a professor of Jungian Studies for Saybrook University of San Francisco/Houston, about the journey for personal fulfillment — how it starts, what it demands, and how it changes your life. James explains what it really means to take responsibility for your life's path, as well as how you can rediscover and reclaim your innate authority. Tami and James discuss how childhood experiences shape our present behavior and what it takes to live fearlessly. Finally, they talk about overcoming lethargy and the joy of becoming comfortable with mysteries."
2. PODCAST: REAL, JOYFUL SEX with Emily Nagoski | We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle
"Author and sex educator Emily Nagoski, talks with us about how to finally build true, joyful, confident sex lives:
1. How our sex issues are totally normal—we’re all worrying about the same things; 2. Why more than 75% of women do not orgasm from penetration alone—and why Glennon thinks the world doesn’t want us to know that; 3. The single factor that is most predictive of strong sustained sexual connection over time; 4. How Abby’s still healing after a lifetime in locker rooms spent comparing her body to other women’s bodies. Emily Nagoski is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling COME AS YOU ARE and THE COME AS YOU ARE WORKBOOK, and coauthor, with her sister, Amelia, of New York Times bestseller BURNOUT: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. She earned an M.S. in counseling and a Ph.D. in health behavior, both from Indiana University, with clinical and research training at the Kinsey Institute. Now she combines sex education and stress education to teach women to live with confidence and joy inside their bodies."
3. ARTICLE: Pleasure is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for overall wellbeing – Tips for Erotic Living | Psychology Today
"The first step in creating pleasure in and out of the bedroom is to cultivate a pleasure mindset. Pleasure is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for overall wellbeing. The subtitle of my book says it all: Understanding the Neuroscience of Pleasure for a Smarter, Happier, and More Purpose-Filled Life. Designate time and space for feel-good fun. Block off a few hours each week to harness your attention and cultivate a healthy hedonism practice. Healthy hedonism is anything that feels good and is good for you. It needn’t involve masturbation or sex of any kind. Good sex–even with ourselves–starts outside the bedroom, and healthy hedonism primes the pleasure mindset. If you have trouble sorting out how to prime your pleasure pump, just stay with the question: I wonder what could feel good and be good for me? When we pose these kinds of questions, they can cook up in the crockpot of our awareness, stimulating our inner resources such that the creative juices–and new solutions–bubble up."