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We’ve been blown away by your emails about The Academy and we’re SO excited to welcome you into this space and help you make your successful eCourse dreams a reality!

But, first… what if you don’t know what to create your eCourse about? Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

1. Check Your Stats

What are your most popular blog posts? Which social media posts do you receive the most comments on? Follow the clues! These are topics your people are already interested in and want more information on. How could you expand on these topics? Could you provide checklists or templates, or demonstration videos, to help them? Could you lead an inspiring 28-day challenge, or group coaching program?

2. Talk to your Peeps

Conduct a poll! Actually ask your clients, blog readers, and social media followers what they most need help with. What are their biggest struggles or frustrations right now? What could you teach and share with them that would help alleviate these issues? Think about how you do things differently to anything, or anyone, they may have seen out there.

3. What are you naturally passionate about?

What could you talk about for DAYSSS? Which conversations do you find the most interesting? What do you find yourself researching for hours? Harness your natural curiosities and passions. That enthusiastic energy is SO attractive – plus it’ll mean your course is a cinch for you to market and maintain, because you already crush on the topic so hard!

4. What mad skills are you rockin’?

If there’s one thing I see over and over again with my beautiful clients (and myself!), it’s that we’re very quick to forget how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learnt.

Think about your lifestyle, blog or business one year ago. What have you learnt how to do since then? Maybe you make a killer home-made pesto, or ferment ALLLL the vegetables, or meal prep like Boss! Maybe you’ve created a signature mediation style, or have figured out how to make self-care a priority (in less than 20 minutes a day).

Don’t keep it to yourself, beautiful! This is all incredible information that you can teach in your successful ecourse.

Bonus Tips & Pointers to fire up your imagination:

:: eCourses come in all shapes and sizes.

They can include any combination of workbooks, masterminds, live workshops, email coaching, communities, challenges, membership sites, office hours, physical goods, subscriptions, group coaching, webinars, bootcamps, detoxes/cleanse programs, guest interviews, pre-recorded events, checklists, resource lists, quizzes, digital magazines and templates. You’re only limited by your imagination!

:: What have you already created?

Maybe you’ve already created a ton of incredibly helpful content on your blog that you can package up into an eCourse.

:: Don’t let the tech stuff stop you!

My first eCourse was in written format only (no video or audio!), and was delivered via email (manually!) over 6 weeks.

:: Which brings me to my favourite guiding mantra: start simple, upgrade later.

How can you get your course out there quickly and easily, so you can test your idea before you invest a ton of time, money and energy into adding all the bells and whistles?

Remember: your course can evolve and grow with you. We didn’t add a Membership Site to The Sparkle Project until our third or fourth launch. To me, it’s just smart business to start simple and adapt as your course (and business!) grows organically.  Before you know it, you’ll have your own successful ecourse!

Ready to get put your big ideas into motion, ladylove?
Join us in The Academy!

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You guys know how much I adore a good vegan festival. So I was thrilled and honoured when she invited me to be a guest speaker.

I’ll be on stage at 12:45pm, sharing the story of how my decision to follow a vegan lifestyle was the catalyst for huge change in my life – and how it led to me coaching hundreds of women worldwide. Plus, how to feel amazing on a plant-based diet, why food is not the most important element when it comes to sparkling with vitality (and what is), and some simple ways we can all feel fabulous!

I’ll also have the honour of sharing the stage with some incredibly inspiring humans, including Dr Alyce Churchill from Plant Based Easy, James Aspey from Voiceless 365, Raya Higgs from Finding Vegan, Dr Peter Dingle, Chris Lindgren from Sea Shepherd, Katrina Love from The Animal Justice Party, and a special satellite session with Dr Will Tuttle, Author of The World Peace Diet.

Plus, you’ll find me there doing a special book signing (with copies available for purchase) before and after my talk.

If you’re in town, come along, beautiful! I’d love to see your friendly face, and with more stallholders snapping up their spots every week, there’ll be a ton of delicious food (and by that, I mean vegan cupcakes) for us to munch on!
 

Perth Peace Expo

Sunday 28th August, 2016
11am – 4pm
Perth Town Hall

::  Delicious plant-based/organic/vegan and gluten-free sweet and savoury food and drink from a range of local businesses.
::  Incredibly inspiring guest speakers.
::  Various business stalls selling ethical wares.
::  Information from local, not-for-profit, and community-based organisations.
::  Face painting for the children.
::  Raffles with amazing prizes to be won.
::  All proceeds donated to support three key animal sanctuaries in Western Australia: Happy Hooves, Greener Pastures, and Possum Valley.

Click here for the full scoop. Plus, check out the Facebook event page for more info and updates.

Update August 2016:

Thank you so much to everyone who came down to say hello! We hope you had an incredible time (we sure did!). It was so great to meet you! x
 

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Not only is my gorgeous friend, Annie Oliverio, an incredible food blogger and photographer over at An Unrefined Vegan, but she’s also the amazing talent behind the brand new cookbook: Crave Eat Heal – Plant-Based, Whole-Food Recipes to Satisfy Every Craving.

This book is sublime. I love how it’s divided into ‘craving categories’ like Sweet, Spicy, Creamy, Crunchy and Comfort. And that it’s packed with over 300 pages (!) of delicious, healthy, vegan recipes.

With tantalising recipes like Creamy Thai Carrot Coconut Soup, ‘Parmesan’ Pita Chips, and Chocolate-coated Key Lime Coconut Cream Pie, Annie provides a smorgasbord of healthy options, while satisfying our most demanding of cravings.

For those new to plant-powered whole foods, there’s also a ton of info about tools and ingredients to see you rocking it out in the kitchen.

Plus, Annie invited her favourite Food Blogger friends (including Yours Truly!) to contribute to the collection. Inside, you’ll find recipes from the likes of Keepin’ It Kind, Veggie Nook, Bunny Kitchen, Vegan Richa, Vedged Out, Me! and a whole lot more.

Aaahhh, a delectable collaboration.

One thing’s for sure, this project was truly a labour of love.

So you better believe that when I had the chance to get Annie alone for half an hour, I asked her a heap of questions about the process behind creating a beautiful book like this, including:

:: What was your inspiration?
:: What’s involved in the creative process?
:: What happens when the cooking’s done and the kitchen’s clean – what sort of marketing/promo events come next?
:: What were your biggest lessons – what advice would you give to a new Food Blogger or Health Coach thinking, ‘how to create a cookbook’?

If you’ve ever dreamed of releasing your own cookbook, this is one interview you won’t want to miss!  Click Play:

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Denise helps women release their fear of money, set premium prices for their services, and take back control of their finances. She’s an award-winning speaker, author and entrepreneur who helps women transform their Economy-Class money mindset into a First-Class life.

So you better believe that when I had the chance to get her alone for half an hour, I asked her a ton of questions specific to Health Coaches and those in the wellness and healing industries, including:

:: How do we get more comfortable around money conversations with clients?

:: What to do when a potential client exclaims: “Oh, you’re so expensive!”?

:: How do we know if we’re charging enough for our services?

:: How can we propose price increases to our clients gracefully?

:: What if people ask to ‘pick our brains’ or coach them for free?

Money blocks are SO common for women in the coaching industry. But with the right mindset, we can create a business that is not only sustainable over the long term – but that actually thrives, and supports us in helping even more people.

This is one interview you won’t want to miss!  Click Play:

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Desiree Taylor is one such light beam.

Certified Holistic Health & Lifestyle Coach, and Founder of Free Yourself Holistic Health, Desiree has an infectious personality and a smile that lights up the room. Endlessly passionate about wellness, Desiree not only embarked on a personal journey to heal herself through natural medicine, but she now works with her coaching clients to help them make lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results.

Please welcome Desiree. xx

What inspired your journey to wellness?

My journey to true health and happiness has been long, sometimes hard, always evolving, but the best thing that has ever happened to me! A gift from the universe I like to call it… my personal awakening!

4 years ago I was living what I thought was a great, “healthy” life….I was playing elite level hockey, partying like a rock star and working ridiculously hard, all whilst ignoring the constant colds, flus, allergies and stomach problems I had and I masked my underlying symptoms of anxiety and depression, with food and alcohol addiction.

My life was fuelled by processed foods, caffeine, sugar, very little sleep, no self-love and I raced through life at one hundred miles an hour! Living this ‘burn and churn lifestyle’ with no-regard for what I was putting into my body and no self-worth brought my world crashing down to a complete stop… literally a stop! I could not get out of bed for months, I could not wash my own hair or walk to the toilet without my heart racing like I had run a marathon… I had developed chronic fatigue syndrome accompanied with underlying adrenal fatigue, gut and hormone disorders. Despite multiple doctors and hospital visits, no-one could help me so I decided to take things into my own hands and embarked on a journey to help heal myself!

4 years later and I now know what true health and happiness is. I finally feel ‘AWAKE’ for once in my life, everything I view and experience is with a clear mind, I have more energy than I have ever had, more passion for life, more purpose in my days, I never struggle with controlling my weight, I never need to diet and I am a better person who is thriving, not merely surviving!

My journey of healing through good food, lifestyle choices and learning to change my thoughts and mindset, inspired me to become a Certified Holistic Health Coach. I now strive to help women overcome their personal struggles so they can live fulfilled, happy, healthy lives with purpose, passion and more energy and vitality!
 

What’s the best thing about being a Health Coach?

There are so many rewards with being a health coach, I get to immerse myself in what I love to do every day so I am constantly learning and evolving myself, but most importantly I feel privileged and grateful to be a part of someone’s journey back to their true state of health and happiness. The best thing is when I see the changes take place in my clients not only physically, but emotionally as well which creates a ripple effect into other areas of their life. Just playing a part in making someone feel better about themselves is a gift.

What’s your favourite way to keep fit?

I LOVE yoga! I try to do a small yoga practice of at least 10 minutes a day just to move my body through breath if I do not have time to do a full session. I have also just started playing hockey again after 4 years, which I never thought I would be able to do, but with perseverance and a dream…anything is possible!

How do you practice self-love and care?

I am a BIG believer in self-love and care… I had to learn this the hard way through previously pushing myself and putting others first until I was forced to stop. Every day I check in with myself and listen to my body! If I need to rest, I will… even if it means missing a party or taking a day off work. I give myself the time and space I need to heal when I am feeling run down and make sure the foods I eat are full of nourishment! I have learnt to self-love by accepting myself unconditionally in all my glorious weirdness and embracing my imperfections! I also speak my authentic truth unapologetically no matter how confronting or different my views are to those of society.
 

What’s your favourite way to relax and unwind?

Meditation is one of my favourite things to do daily to relax, ground myself, unwind and remind me of what life is all about… success comes from stillness and I always gain perspective, answers and creative flares when I meditate. I reconnect with my true self, the infinite… I also love watching space movies or sci-fi, I am a bit of a nerd!
 

What’s got your toes tingling with excitement right now?

I am super excited to be launching ‘The Busy Woman’s Eat for Energy Diet’ App in January, as well as a 4 week online e-course later in 2016. The sky’s the limit and I cannot wait to see what the universe has in store for me…
 

What’s your favourite healthy recipe?

This Vegetable Fried Rice!

Print

Vegetable Fried Rice

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Author Desiree Taylor

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of tamari sauce
• 1/2 sweet potato cut into small pieces
• ½ eggplant cut into small pieces
• 1 to mato diced
• 1 onion diced
• 1 bunch Bok choy
• 1 capsicum diced
• 1 cup peas
• 3 cups of pre-cooked brown rice
• 2 chilies
• Chopped ginger & garlic to taste or approx. 1 tablespoon each
• Salt + pepper

Instructions

• In a wok or large pan, sauté onion and tomato is some good quality oil until soft.
• Add in chili, garlic, ginger & simmer for a few more minutes.
• Add in sweet potato, eggplant and capsicum pieces and cook through until sweet potato is soft. (Keep mixing so the vegetables do not stick to the bottom and if this happens you can add a tiny bit of water.)
• Add in Bok choy, peas and tamari sauce and cook through until bok choy has wilted
• Add in the pre-cooked brown rice.
• Mix vegetables through the brown rice and leave on low for 5mins to heat through.

Yum, that looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing with us, Desiree. xx

Get to know this inspiring health babe better:

Via her Website + Facebook + Twitter + Instagram + YouTube.

Plus, check out my interview with Desiree in Sexy Sobriety.
 

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This was just like that time. Because let’s face it, we’d all be drinking cake batter straight from the bowl every day if our skinny jeans would let us.

Next stop on this Love Train?  Behold… the Apple Pie Smoothie! TOOT TOOT!

Heavenly Smoothie Tips

Base Basics:

• Use organic, unsweetened coconut water instead of plain filtered water to add easy, low- GI sweetness – so you can use less actual sweetener and have less of an impact on your blood-sugar levels.
• Frozen bananas add icy-cold creaminess. Use very ripe bananas and peel and break them in half before freezing for easy single serve portions (and less work for your blender).
• Pre-soak nuts in a bowl or jar of water in the fridge overnight to aid digestion and make blending easier.

Sweetening the Deal:

• Low GI sweeteners provide a slow release of energy, efficiently fuelling you without the nasty highs and lows experienced with most commercial sugars.
• Medjool Dates have a GI of 55, taste like sweet caramel, and boast high levels of fibre, antioxidants, potassium, copper, magnesium, Vitamins A, B6, C and K, niacin, calcium and iron.
• Coconut Sugar has a GI of just 35, tastes like rich toffee, and is a rich source of Vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron.
• Although these sweet loves are much healthier than sugar, they should still be used sparingly. For super sparkly health, reach for the Green Juice every day and save the Dessert SuperSmoothies (like this one!) for special weekend treats.

Print

Apple Pie Smoothie

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Author Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 cup stewed organic apples or organic applesauce
• 2 medjool dates pitted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp lucuma optional
• Pinch sea salt
• Handful of ice

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in blender, and blend on high speed until smooth. Enjoy!

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Michelle Freitas is a Certified Holistic Health Coach specialising in sugar addiction and weight loss. Based in Santa Monica, LA, Michelle is a published author in the field of sugar addiction, and has written articles for MindBodyGreen and The Fix.

When she’s not coaching clients through her Sexy Slim Down program, Michelle loves playing in the kitchen and whipping up delicious, healthy meals.

Michelle’s also a truly inspiring health babe, having been through her own health challenges and sugar-addiction, before emerging on her journey to wellness. Best of all, she’s now helping others to do the same.  ♥

Please welcome Michelle. xx

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What inspired your journey to wellness?

My journey to wellness started when I was overweight and had a mean addiction to sugar. I had been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis and was using cake, cookies and chocolate to sooth myself emotionally.

I was at rock bottom and had to do something about my never-ending desire for sweets. It was a long road but I can safely say that my consumption of sugar is within a normal range today and my weight is back normal.

What’s the best thing about being a Health Coach?

I find it incredibly enjoyable to talk about health, nutrition and cooking, but most of all I love the discovery process with my clients. It feels so good to discover the root of a behavior around food and help my client work through it.

What’s your favourite way to keep fit?

My favorite ways to keep fit are a combination of things. I enjoy yoga, hiking, and going for walks. Yoga is such a calming and centering practice that provides me with so much strength, grace and resilience in my life. Hiking and going for walks allow me to be outside and explore. I love nature and being among all the plants, animals and bugs while exercising.

How do you practice self-love and care?

My practice of self-love and care is an ongoing practice. The best way for me to start my day is with 8 hours of sleep. Right after I wake up, I meditate. It keeps my mind calm throughout the day and allows me the opportunity to respond rather than react to what happening during the day.

I eat healthily. Which doesn’t mean I eat perfectly. I listen to my body and give it what it wants. My diet is full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein. However, if I want a chocolate bar, I allow myself to have one.

I have hobbies. One of things I really enjoy is taking pictures. I will plan little trips in the area to just take pictures for fun. Over the years I have collected some beautiful pictures.

Most importantly, I always have something on the calendar to look forward to. I find this practice keeps me excited about life and gives me the energy to get through the harder days.

What’s your favourite way to relax and unwind?

My favorite way to unwind is by reading a good book, going for a walk, or catching a new movie at the theatre.

What’s got your toes tingling with excitement right now?

I’m working on a new project for my clients with sugar addiction. I’m still in the development phase but what I plan on creating is a 4 – 6 week course that will walk my clients through their sugar addiction. It will be completely online, easy to follow, and transformative. At the end of the process, my clients will have experienced recovery around sugar addiction, have more clarity and understanding about their addiction, and have a tool kit for living with it.

What’s one of your favourite refined-sugar-free recipes?

This Mexican Chocolate Pudding!

Print

Mexican Chocolate Pudding

Servings 2 Servings

Author Michelle Freitas

Ingredients

Pudding

• 2 ripe avocados
• ½ cup of raw cacao powder
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 3-4 servings of stevia
• ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped Cream

• 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours - be sure to buy the full fat coconut milk and not the light or low fat. If you get the light coconut milk it won't have the solid cream, which is the part we need for this recipe.

Instructions

• First place a bowl in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. This bowl will be used to make the whipped cream.
• Put all of the pudding ingredients into the food processor and puree until smooth. Scoop out of the processor and chill for a few hours before serving.
  2 ripe avocados, ½ cup of raw cacao powder, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 3-4 servings of stevia, ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract
• In the chilled bowl scoop the solid coconut milk out of the can with 1/4 cup of the liquid milk (save the rest of the liquid milk for other recipes). With a hand mixer, begin whipping the coconut cream on a low speed, then slowly increase to top speed. Whip the cream for about 2 minutes until peaks form.
  1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
• When the pudding is chilled, serve with a nice dollop of cream on top.

Wow, that looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing with us, Michelle. xx

Get to know this inspiring health babe better:

Via her Website + Twitter + Instagram. Visit MichelleFreitas.com to set up your free 20-minute Discovery Session. And while you’re there, download your free copy of her eBook: Guiltless Desserts – because life’s too short to not enjoy dessert!

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