Introducing: Nourish + Shine — Mandy Sciacchitano

Mind-body-soul connection has become such a cliché in our modern society that we hardly stop to think about what it really means.

What does that connection feel like?

How often do you actually feel it (if at all)?

The imagery promoted by the advertising industry about mind-body-soul usually represents a yogi meditating and sipping on some green juice.

Me. Acting like I have the whole mind-body-soul connection thing on lock.

But even as someone who has experienced fleeting moments of being that meditating yogi, I don’t relate to that image as something representative or even aspirational in my life.

So how do we embody the mind-body-soul connection?

And why do we even talk about it anyway?

Up until the past few months, I honestly never knew what it meant to live in that kind of alignment every day.

My main block?

Structuring my diet (and life) around a set of “rules” about what is and isn’t “healthy” or “good for you.”

I spent so many years searching for a plan that would “work” for me to manipulate my body to look the way that it did, that I actually lost touch with my body. I didn’t know how to tune in and interpret my body’s cues.

I didn’t know how to feed it and exercise it based on my body’s unique needs.

Every time I started a new diet or exercise regime, I wanted to be told step-by-step, minute-by-minute exactly what to do or eat. I ignored by body’s signals in the name of willpower and a 6-pack.

This search for perfection in diet and physique often translates to perfectionism in other areas in our lives, and our standard of what is “successful,” “healthy,” or even just “acceptable” debilitates us and makes us feel like failures… which in turn leads to anxiety, depression, poor self-confidence, and a whole host of other mental and emotional roadblocks.

Piled on top of that is a woman’s innate desire to nurture… even those of us who don’t have children find ourselves wanting to take care of and help everyone else, often at the expense of our own self care.

So we are following strict universal diet plans and neglecting our mental and emotional health in service of others. And we are applauded for it by society.

“You have so much willpower!”
“You are a supermom; how do you do it all?”

But where’s the connection?

There isn’t one.

I didn’t truly find my mind-body-soul connection until I started turning inward, taking care of myself, and really tuning into my body.

Now, mind-body-soul connection to me represents total alignment—when my body is lit up because I am feeding it foods to nourish and energize it and moving it in a way that makes me happy, and my mind is fresh and clear because I dedicate time every day to practice self-care and spirituality.

The best irony? I serve others so much better now.

I feel fulfilled, whole, nourished, and complete so I don’t seek those things in other people.

Instead of serving in search of affirmation, I serve because I have so much to give.

This is what total wellness means to me.

It means achieving this alignment in our physical and emotional selves so that we can truly be present in our lives, work, and relationships.

So here are 5 steps to finally find total mind-body-soul alignment in your life:

Just kidding.

There is no cookie-cutter program to finally arrive at wellness utopia.

In fact, it isn’t even a destination, but a constant process of tuning in and adjusting, tuning in and adjusting.

Every person is so beautifully, divinely different that the path to wellness can take millions of different forms.

So I am not going to give you a manual or a plan or even a destination.

What I can give you is one-on-one coaching through one of my programs, AND a community, support system, and tools and resources to start figuring out what mind-body-soul wellness looks like to you.

Introducing: Nourish + Shine.

Nourish + Shine is an online community that celebrates mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional wellness in all of its forms. It is a group to support, inspire, and encourage women on their journeys to discover what holistic wellbeing looks like for them.

This is a private space where women can share openly about our struggles, celebrate one another’s victories, and form friendships that inspire and encourage us to keep going.

Weekly discussion prompts and live chats around one aspect of wellbeing—mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional—will present opportunities to dive deeper into our beliefs and desires and implement new practices to discover our most nourished, supported, and vibrant selves.

Nourish + Shine celebrates bodies of every shape and size and believes that every body and soul is beautiful. It is a space that rejects restriction and control and encourages every person to explore what nutrition and wellness means to them without attachment to a scale or a vision of the “perfect” body.

Best of all? It’s totally free.

(If I had you at "free" go ahead and fill out this form to get yourself into the group ASAP!)

I am so excited to finally open this space that has been on my heart for a long time, and I encourage anyone who is seeking to feel more present, nourished, and whole in their bodies to join.

I will be sharing my constantly evolving journey along the way, and selecting books that we can read together to deepen our understanding of ourselves and to provide guidance and resources in constructing our most vibrant lives.

You can participate as much or as little as you want, but I encourage you to embrace the space and infuse it with your unique voice. YOU have infinite value and intelligence to share and we all have much to gain from hearing your voice.

I am so excited to share this space with you and to witness all of the growth, connection, support, and learning that is sure to occur.

Xx,