It’s time for another housekeeping blog. Here are just a few things I’d like to mention:
1. My rates for private consultations have increased. The initial consultation fee is now $500; follow-ups are $250/hr; and initial phone consultations are $350. I have resisted raising my rates for several years because I wanted to be as affordable for everyone as possible. However, as the demands on my time are increasing, along with inflation and the actual costs of keeping this business as high-integrity as it is, this change had to be implemented.
Please note that with all the detailed information I have provided in my books, audios and blogs, anyone can reach the highest levels of health without coming to see me directly. The personal consultation option is there for those who truly feel they need the hand-held support. While I would never discourage anyone from booking a private session, the tools are all here for you, so take them as far as you can. If you pay attention to the details and do not overlook the parts of my guidance that may at first seem inconvenient to you, you can transform your body and your life. Cost is not an excuse–all the information you need is here for free if you take the time to read and study. The books, audios and private sessions are all a source of support, but I have gone to great pains to open the doors of knowledge and ensure that the truth is free to all who desire it. Truth can never be withheld from the sincere seeker.
2. I would like to introduce my new assistant, Ana Ladd-Griffen. Ana will be supporting me with my projects as well as answering emails. Having gone to great lengths to educate herself and implement this work in her life, Ana has more than proved her grasp of the breadth and depth of the detox lifestyle and I feel extremely grateful to have her as my right hand.
Please note that we cannot respond to each and every email, but we do our best to respond when guidance is required above and beyond what is available on the site. We love to receive your effusive emails about how much this work has changed your body and positively affected other aspects of your life! So if you feel like writing to tell us about it, please do! Answers to many of your questions may be found in the blogs or FAQs, so please see if you can find them on the site first. Ana will be fostering (among many other exciting new projects) more community activity on the site, creating ways for you to connect with each other by sharing recipes, stories, and other tips that you have discovered on your own. So stay tuned for much more support and mutual inspiration in the New Year.
3. Please note that Gil Jacobs is giving one of his fabulous FREE LECTURES on November 12th at 8:00 p.m. in his space at 528 East 5th street. All the information is on the EVENTS page of this site. Gil offers information you will not get anywhere else. Don’t miss it!
4. I will be taking time off between December 10th (’08) and January 10th (’09) to travel with my family. Ana will be available to answer questions or book sessions while I am away.
5. Anecdotally, for all the mothers out there, I want to share a little tidbit about our recent Halloween since I get so many questions about how I handle candy with my kids. We took a trip down to our friends’ beautiful home in a very posh suburb of Palm Beach, Florida. The homes were dressed to the nines for the holiday, matched only by the kids and their over-the-top costumes. At about 6:30 p.m., all of our kids (my two, ages 6 and 8, and our friends’ two, ages 3 and 5) were all ready to venture out into the spooky night.
My kids always participate in trick-or-treating, after which they traditionally pick two pieces of candy and surrender the rest as a sacrifice to the “Halloween Monster”–who, if pleased with the sacrifice, allows them to trick-or-treat again the next year. I had never had any problem with this, but this was our kids’ first time staying in another household for Halloween. My friends, who were very supportive of the way I live, decided to go along with this approach. But before we even made it out the door, their kids started angling for candy and my kids quickly felt a sense of entitlement too.
It was about the hour I like to start noshing on my prelude to dinner–raw carrots. So I grabbed a large bag of giant carrots (those really big, thick ones that look like they were plucked right out of the ground for a giant) and immediately announced that I was “Carrot Woman” for Halloween. As I pulled out one of my hefty carrots to munch, I noticed that there were four sets of big, greedy eyes set on my carrot. I offered it to the three-year-old who immediately launched into it. The next carrot went to his brother, and then my kids quickly tore into their carrots as well. Suddenly, the candy was forgotten, as the costumed trick-or-treaters found themselves in mouthwatering delight over simple carrots. They ate them, they played swords with them, and then the carrots were gone–into the deep of their digestive systems.
All kids like fresh juicy fruits and vegetables, so why do we think we have to give them junky candy to provide fun and festivity? Ultimately, Halloween came and went with the pleasure of accumulating a mass amount of candy and sacrificing it to the Halloween Monster (a good garbage disposal is perfect) once again. No cavities, no stomach aches, no sugar fits–just fun, happy memories. It can be done, my friends. Kids follow your lead. Lead wisely. Here’s to giving them real treats instead of tricking them with fake ones.
In the Life Light,
Natalia