Kris Carr, brilliant author of Crazy Sexy Diet

Last night was your last chance to enter my Crazy Sexy Diet giveaway, and I was delighted by the flurry of late entries. Early in the week I tweeted that more people had to enter or else Valerie (of the amazing City Life Eats) would be a shoo-in. You guys definitely gave her some competition, but the random number generator knew what it wanted and selected entry #1, Valerie’s statement on why she wanted to win:

I would love to win this book as while I eat pretty healthfully, I think there is always room for improvement and I would love to cook from Kris’ recipes!

Congratulations, Valerie! I can’t wait to hear about your experience with this book.

If my budget were bigger, I would buy copies for everyone who entered, but, alas, starting a business while traveling extensively doesn’t quite allow for that.

Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get this book onto your shelves a.s.a.p. By buying in the next two days (which means before end of day on Saturday, January 22), you’ll help Kris make it to the bestseller lists.

My mom (who has been loving the copy I surprised her with) and I have been talking about the importance of making sure Crazy Sexy Diet is a bestseller. This county needs a health revolution; with this book, Kris can help really make that happen. But it needs major media attention; it needs to be featured in newspapers and magazines and on TV; it needs to reach people beyond those of us who know that kale is the coolest and yoga does wonders. So if this blog (and my facebook, and my twitter feed…) has turned into a near-constant promo for Crazy Sexy Diet, it’s because I think it’s just too stinkin’ important for me to not hustle a little.

If you’re somehow still on the fence about whether to buy this book–and copies for your loved ones–watch Kris glow as she talks about the book in these interviews. Don’t you want more of that sparkle in your life?

• Behind the Scenes of the Crazy Sexy Diet Book Tour
• Chatting it up with the magnetic Danielle LaPorte: Self-Empowered Glowing & the Science of Kris Carr
• Sharing the good stuff with Gabrielle Bernstein of ~ing fame
• Celebrating greens on Good Morning America
• Talking down and dirty about sh*t pickles (that’s right) with the brilliant Marie Forleo

Whew! Can you tell I care just a little bit about this movement? (And that’s what it needs to be–a movement.) I hope this inspires you to chug more greens and spread the word.

On that note, I’m off to explore beautiful San Francisco, where we arrived last night after a quick-but-awesome trip to Portland. First order of business: get car fixed. Second order of business: find somewhere to get a green juice! Happy weekend!

Kris Carr, my hero and author of Crazy Sexy Diet

Kris Carr–that’s right, my hero–is officially launching her newest, sure-to-be-brilliant book this week. Yup, Crazy Sexy Diet is officially ready for public consumption. (Bad pun. I didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m definitely leaving it in.)

I was super excited that the book launch was going to coincide with my 200th post, but then we got all busy having this amazing trip and all, and I couldn’t post as much as I wanted and so, I fell behind. Which means that instead of announcing the giveaway on Post 200, I’m announcing it on #199. But really, who cares when it comes to a free, awesome book?

Curious what this lovely new volume is all about?

“On the heels of Kris Carr’s best-selling cancer survival guidebooks and her acclaimed TLC documentary comes her new journey into a realm vital to anyone’s health. Infused with her signature sass, wit and advice-from-the-trenches style, Crazy Sexy Diet is a beautifully illustrated resource that puts you on the fast track to vibrant health, happiness and a great ass!

“Along with help from her all-star posse of experts, Carr lays out the fundamentals of her Crazy Sexy Diet: a low-glycemic, vegetarian program that emphasizes balancing the pH of the body with lush whole and raw foods, nourishing organic green drinks, and scrumptious smoothies. Plus, she shares the steps of her own twenty-one-day cleanse, and simple but delectable sample recipes.” (That’s all from the official blurb, sent out by part of her rock star team.)

You want it, right? I know. Here’s how you enter (one entry per action/comment):

1. Leave a comment telling me why you want this book in your life.
2. Follow me on twitter, and leave a comment telling me you did.
3. Add me to your RSS feed and, yup, leave a comment.
4. Join the GreenJunkieLiving group on facebook and….leave a comment!
5. Mention this giveaway on your blog or twitter or facebook, and let me know in the comments.

Deadline for entry is midnight on Thursday, January 20th.

I have been waiting months to get my hot little hands on this book, and now I’m extra excited to be sharing a copy with you. Enjoy!

And no, I’m not talking about wedding stuff right now. (Though that’s all coming along just fine. We are super relaxed about the whole ordeal. The vows matter; the party’s a bonus.)

No, I’m talking about Love Lists! Kris Carr posted a simple-but-inspiring blog earlier this week about ten things she loves, and I couldn’t help but think…hey, maybe I should do that. Especially now that I’m not walking around with stealth anger all the time now. (More on that coming in the future. I’m just still processing a few pieces at the moment and deciding how much I want to share.) Anywho, Kris was inspired by Gala Darling, so it’s really been one big delightful e-loop of love.

I popped onto Crazy Sexy Life, aka the website (by which I mean: community) that changed my life and signed up for a new little group called Love Lists. I got approval, and soon I was rearing and ready to go. By the time I signed in the next morning to post some content, I saw that a handful of people had already signed up and posted their very own lists. How great is that?!

My hope is to make Love Lists a regular feature here on Green Junkie Living, but I know better than to promise to commit to something on a regular basis. This will be more of an “as the spirit moves me” deal. That said, I wanted to share my very first lists with you, and invite you to share your own–in the comments here, on your own blog, or, of course, on CSL. The point is: share the love! (And go click on that abundance of links above if you have somehow resisted so far. Join CSL; I’ll be you’re friend. I promise.)

Here is the very first little Love List I posted. What will yours look like?

I’m so glad people have beat me to the punch to post on here! *That* is going on my love list! This is a quick one before I head off to work, but what a great way to start the day.

Love in Kyoto (Gosh he's handsome!)

~Coconut Body Butter from the Body Shop
~Skype phone calls from my 5-year-old niece, and the fact that she gets so excited when my fiance gets on the computer to talk to her
~That my sister and I will often email each other the same exact article at the same exact time. Helps me feel close when I’m far away.
~In 40 days, I get to move back to the States for a while to see my loved ones and take a nice, long break from work
~In less than 100 days, I get to marry the love of my life and best friend.

Have a beautiful day, everyone!

Corinne Bowen, woman of many talents

4. What would you say is the biggest reward in pursuing two different career paths simultaneously?

I couldn’t narrow it down to one thing, but here is what comes to my mind right away: Creating fulfilling and soul-nourishing relationships with a diverse group of creative spirits, waking up each morning feeling amazed that this is my life, believing whole-heartedly that anything is possible and the future is rich with possibilities I can’t even imagine, being a part of two networks of people that enrich my life, and learning from a vast array of people and experiences that hold unique knowledge in different fields.

5. The biggest challenge?

I think that when you’re pursuing something you love, dreams can become bigger than yourself. Staying centered and grounded is a daily practice. Lately, rather than saying “I should exercise,” I should eat better,” “I should work harder,” I try to figure out what makes me happy. It seems as though happiness leads to all of those “good” things effortlessly, but it’s a lot more of a challenge to love yourself and put your happiness first than to go on a fad diet or work until your head hits the keyboard.

6. What do you consider your biggest accomplishment(s) to date?

Creating a life that is filled with positive and supportive people and following my bliss. In more concrete terms: Completing my first novel and signing with my dream agent while working for Kris Carr. All of these things I never would have thought to be possible three years ago.

Just a few of the inspiring images that greet you on Corinne's homepage

7. How do you get it all done? Do you have any time management/motivation tricks to share?

When you do what you love, it’s not as difficult to get things done. You can’t help but get them done. I think the greater challenge is slowing down before you burn out and figuring out how to fuel your body, mind, and muse along the way. A couple weeks ago, I wasn’t feeling that spark in my heart when I booted up my computer and it was getting me down. Rather than try to ride out the blues, I sought out inspiration. I looked for music, art, and inspirational talks and it worked! If you are willing to listen to the voice inside you that is asking for help, whether it’s spiritual, mental, physical, or work-related, I think you’ll be okay!

8. Anything else you’d like us to know?

I live my life by this quote:

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” (Joseph Campbell)

Try it!

If you’d like to follow me, here’s where I live on the web:

Blog: http://corinnebowen.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Corinne_Bowen

Special thanks to my girl Tina for suggesting I contact Corinne for this series–what a great idea! If anyone else has recommendations, I’d love to hear them. I’m having so much fun with these interviews, I hope to keep it up. What career path do you want to learn more about?

Corinne Bowen, Renaissance Woman

In TOEFL, students are often asked to give 45 second responses to questions such as, “Who is your hero?” or “Who do you admire most?” When they ask about my heroes, Kris Carr is the first person who comes to mind. We don’t have Kris Carr here for us today, but I can do you one better: the brilliant, beautiful, wise Corinne Bowen, who happens to be Kris’s right-hand woman. For Corinne’s interview, I struggled with what to “label” her, and finally decided Renaissance Woman was the most accurate description. In addition to helping run Kris’s wellness hub, Crazy Sexy Life, Corinne is a budding novelist and certified yoga instructor. Oh, and in her spare time? She does super-cool things like record vocals for the Freeminer Birds‘ latest album, Fill the Shelters. (That’s her super talented hubby’s band.) Enough from me; go read about Corinne in her own words.

1. Can you give us an overview of your different jobs/roles?

Four days a week, I work for Kris Carr at Crazy Sexy Wellness. We’ve always struggled to pin down my job title because I do everything from corresponding with Kris’ fans, to managing our website, to developing future programs with Kris and her husband/business partner, Brian. It’s a fulfilling and inspiring job, since I have the opportunity to create and build Crazy Sexy Life with two of the most creative and kind people I know. One of my favorite things to do is brainstorm with my bosses! What could be better?

I am also a writer. This has grown into a career over the past four years. I have experience as a grant-writer and a columnist, but my passion is fiction. Earlier this year, I signed with an agent after working on my first (completed) novel for about fifteen months. Rebecca Strauss at McIntosh & Otis is a dream and I am happy beyond measure with her as my literary agent. Writing is my bliss, so I am grateful each day to be on the path to publication.

2. How did you find yourself pursuing two careers simultaneously? Was it a deliberate choice, or was it more organic? Do you prefer working on two paths to working on one?

It was organic. After graduating with a Master of Public Administration, I realized that I wasn’t happy working in my field or in a traditional office setting. Only a year later, I quit my job, moved to an ashram for a month and became a certified yoga teacher. It was more of a compulsion than a decision since my inner compass was so strong that I couldn’t ignore this new path. During the following year, I was a yoga instructor and freelance writer, but something was still missing. Then, I saw Kris Carr’s documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer. As the credits rolled, I told my husband that I was destined to work with Kris and the rest is history. Along the way, I started working on my current novel and the dream of becoming a published author became stronger each day until I knew that I needed to pursue this path with the same passion I had used to achieve my goal of working for Crazy Sexy Wellness. Being a part of both worlds is a challenge, but they compliment and enrich each other. All I know is that I am happy in this moment and until that changes, I’ll remain on this course.

[Editor's Note: Go check out Corinne's write-up about the vision board she put together with Kris at the center. Talk about manifesting your dreams!]

3. How do you manage to balance your different roles? Do you feel it is balanced?

It’s not easy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m learning more about balance each day. Most of my imbalance and stress is self-created—either I’m being too hard on myself or I’m taking myself too seriously. At first, I wasn’t able to step away from my computer, whether it was because I was working on my novel or for Crazy Sexy Wellness. During that time, my family and home suffered, but luckily I have an amazing husband who rode out this tough time and cheered me on.

Following your dreams isn’t easy. I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who care about my health and will call me out when I’m pushing too hard. Long nights are necessary when you’re blazing your own trail (in my opinion) but once you’ve left your training wheels behind, I think you have more head space to realize that you need to be rested, happy and healthy to keep things going for the long haul.

Gala Darling, the woman behind Love & Sequins

Here are a few things I do to balance work and life:

• I do not check my work email in the evening and on weekends. Sounds simple, but this “rule” has changed my life for the better.
• I set goals. If I have a major project or novel revisions due, I create a daily word count goal or a task checklist.
• I have a life coaching session every other week to discuss any work/life imbalances and create a game plan for overcoming any challenges.
• I make sleep (7-8 hours/night) and healthy eating (vegan, veggie juice, NO fast food) a priority.
• I exercise. Lately, I’ve been running 3 times per week with my husband (nurturing my body and my marriage!).
• I read and listen to inspiring books and podcasts. I’m obsessed with Gala Darling’s Love & Sequins podcasts right now!
• I spend time outside. Working from home can be very isolating, so I make an effort to take long walks outside, especially with my husband.
• I have fun! Movies, dinner with friends and family, exploring Baltimore, and bookstore browsing are just a few of the things I do to unwind.

Check back tomorrow for Part II of Corinne’s awesome insight.

I loosely divided it into four sectors, with a nice big “Double Happiness” in the middle–because really, that’s what it’s all about, no? The upper left corner is all about my new-found rediscovered passion for green living. When I was in elementary school, 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth was one of my absolute favorite books. As I got older, I defaulted to green living…when it was convenient. But in the past year or so, I have felt a new sense of urgency when it comes to our planet, and dream of having the greenest home we can.

Contradictory as it may seem, the next corner is all about travel. Given the title and original intention of this blog, this can’t be any surprise. Some of these destinations (those in Asia) are planned for spring of 2011, but the others are a bit up in the air. Seeing the names of places I dream of visiting each day certainly inspires me to find a way to make it happen. And that camera there is my dream purchase so I can play with photography, which I love, and capture my travels.

The upper right corner is focused mostly on health. “Beautiful Back” is my vanity goal. I’m a sucker for backless dresses and halter tops, and I want a strong, toned back when I wear them. Some goals are food related, some sleep, some yoga, some my relationships and spirituality. All pretty straightforward, I think.

Finally, the lower right corner is a bit of a “catch all” category. It speaks to my desire to spend more time in nature, get a puppy or two when we’re settled somewhere, spend more time with poetry and art, and to apply and get accepted to a program for my masters in literature (more on that later).

I realized later that I neglected to add a few things, but had already taken out the recycling and filled up my board. Somehow, I’ll have to find room for these intentions: patience, vegetable garden, head stand, 10 push ups, $0 debt, sunrises, fireplace, Istanbul, Morocco. Most of them are details or expansions or tangents to other items already on the board, but specificity is key, is it not?

Have created a vision board? Do you have plans to? Please share links and experiences in the comments!

*Can you tell I couldn’t come up with a clever title?

If you haven’t already, it would mean a lot to me if you popped over and left a comment (if you’re so inclined).

For those of you not familiar, CSL is a wonderful holistic health community founded by my health hero, Kris Carr. The folks at CSL have given me tremendous support and advice as I continue to work toward my healthiest self. It is an honor to guest post. And if you’re looking to jump start your own wellness, take a peak at the forum, past blogs, and Kris’s recommendations in the CSL store.

I’m focusing on my health as a way to enjoy the holidays because, quite frankly, it’s tough to be excited about much of anything when you feel lousy. Better physical health is conducive to better mental health, and vice versa.

The winter blues hit me hard this year, complete with days of not getting out of bed until the afternoon and huge crying jags. Fortunately, I could recognize what was happening and have a great support system. In addition to MB’s magic hugs and amazing patience and love, I humbled myself and reached out to one of my dearest friends, whom I affectionately call Bug. She peppered me with uplifting emails and little reminders of things that can help pull one out of the doldrums.

I also went hunting for naturopathic remedies. Sunlight and fresh air are amazing cure-alls, but I knew there had to be more. Kris Carr came to the rescue again with this post by Barbara Mendez on her CrazySexyLife blog. It was nice to see I was already doing a lot of the right things, but it gave me some new pointers, too. So I’ve started adding a big drizzle of flax seed oil to my smoothies, am currently working to give up sugar, and have been more protective of my sleep.

The great news is that so far, things seem to be helping. Days seem easier, and I’ve been laughing more. I’ve also been more accepting of myself. I had been pushing myself to do thing that I “should” want to do (like going out late partying on Tuesday. Ugh.) and instead honoring the homebody bit of my soul. I got some craft supplies and wrapped Christmas presents while watching mysteries. I’m spending less time in front of screens and more time with books. Giving up sugar (read: wine) is the real challenge right now, but I’m working on it. Of course, I will be indulging in glogg soon (which you can read all about in part iii), but it’ll be worth it.

If you’re curious about what goes into my daily green smoothie, check back soon. I’ll be writing a guest post for my brilliant friend/fellow health junkie, Jen, on her funny and informative blog, Holistic Health Junkie. I have all the pictures taken for my VitaMix love post, but have to bang out the text to go with it. I’ll be sure to post a link when it goes up.

Oh! And yoga! I joined a gym to go to their yoga classes, but that’s not happening. I am starting to do just a bit of yoga on my own at home though, which feels great.