A cozy, wholesome way to use your sourdough discard — and fill your home with the most heavenly scent. There’s something so comforting about creating a recipe that turns “extra” into something extraordinary. That’s exactly what these breakfast bars do. They’re a beautiful way to use your sourdough discard instead of wasting it, and they come together with real, nourishing ingredients that make your whole kitchen smell like cinnamon, citrus, warmth, and home. These bars are te

by MaryNell — written from the heart, with love, curiosity, and science There’s something incredibly powerful about learning how our daily choices shape the future of our hearts and minds. Food, movement, and small, steady habits have enormous influence. This isn’t about fear. It’s about confidence, prevention, and taking ownership of our life’s story. Below is a roadmap to help you become the director of your own long, healthy lifetime. ❤️ Foods That Support Arterial Health

I went to my endocrinologist today, and for reasons I don’t fully understand, every visit with her seems to open a tender place inside me. Maybe it’s because she’s one of the few people who has witnessed the full arc of my medical journey. Maybe it’s because sitting in that exam room reminds me of the truth I rarely give myself permission to say: I have endured a tremendous amount of trauma. On the drive home, I listened to Chapter 8 of Dr. B’s new book, Plant Powered Plus, w

Why Turmeric & Magnesium Glycinate Are Two of the Kindest Gifts You Can Give Your Body If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this journey of healing, rebuilding, and learning to truly listen to my body, it’s that the simplest things often make the biggest difference. Food, rest, rhythms, gentle nourishment — the things our grandparents would’ve recognized — still have the most profound impact on our well-being. And today I want to share two of my very favorite “quiet powerhous

There’s a particular kind of magic in the moments before the snow begins to fall — that hush in the air, the stillness, the invitation to slow down and savor what’s right in front of us. Today, my granddaughter is watching soft flakes drift down over Lake Oconee, and my parents are looking out over the golf course in Augusta, watching their backyard turn into a quiet winter painting in WestLake. And here in Mount Pleasant, the cold has settled in — crisp, clean, and full of p

There’s something powerful that happens when you choose to listen to your body — truly listen. Not with fear, but with respect. Not with dread, but with a quiet understanding that your body has carried you through every storm you’ve ever survived. And when you’ve faced cancer… when you’ve looked it in the eye and said, not today, not ever again… you learn that strength isn’t loud. It’s steady. It’s patient. It’s the way you keep moving forward even when the uncertainty tries

A reflection on love, loss, clarity, and the quiet courage to begin again Sometimes healing doesn’t come with fireworks — it comes in quiet moments, like watching snow fall outside your window and noticing that your heart is finally telling you the truth. This is a story about love, loss, clarity, and the gentle courage it takes to choose yourself again… even when part of you still aches. It’s for anyone learning to let go with grace — and hold onto hope with both hands. Ther

The Secret Life of Microbes, SCFAs, and Your Body’s Beautiful Ability to Begin Again If you’ve ever slipped into a weekend of sugar, stress, travel, or ‘convenience’ eating and suddenly felt puffy, moody, bloated, or “off,” you’re not imagining it — the gut responds fast. But here’s the part I love even more: When you nourish it again… it responds just as quickly. Sometimes within hours. Often within a few days. Almost always within a week. Today, I want to walk you through w

Using Food Alone — and a Little Awe for What Your Body Can Do If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this long, winding path through surgeries, healing, and rebuilding my insides from the ground up, it’s this: Your gut is always trying to love you back. Even when life gets chaotic. Even when you’re stressed, tired, traveling, grieving, or grabbing ‘convenience’ foods. Even when your organs have had to reinvent themselves — the way mine have. And yet, the gut is surprisingly fra

There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about biscotti — those crisp, elegant little cookies that somehow make an ordinary morning coffee feel like a moment. The word biscotti literally means “twice-cooked,” and that second bake is the magic step that draws out most of the moisture. It’s why biscotti stay fresh longer than nearly any other baked treat… though if you don’t plan to enjoy your homemade batch within two weeks, tuck them into the freezer once they’ve cooled overni

Why it happens, how to handle it, and a little reassurance from someone who’s been there . If you’ve ever taken off your Omnipod or Dexcom and suddenly found yourself in what looks like a crime scene straight out HBO’s ‘The PITT’… you’re in good company. These little surprise bleeders can feel dramatic, messy, and honestly a bit shocking — especially when they appear out of nowhere on an otherwise calm morning. The good news? They’re common, they’re usually harmless, and they

Living Without a Pancreas, Trusting Your Gut, and Learning from Sourdough One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in this wild, beautiful life-after-pancreas is that our bodies are always working for us — even when the rulebook gets rewritten. And trust me, mine has been rewritten from cover to cover. When you live without a pancreas, your entire inner world shifts — your hormones, your digestion, the way your hunger feels, the way your blood sugar behaves. And yet somehow, y

There are moments in history that reshape what it means to live. For millions of us around the world, the discovery of insulin is one of those miracles. And for the last three years, I find myself thinking about four extraordinary men whose determination, brilliance, and deep compassion changed the course of human life forever. This year, especially, I’ve been reflecting on just how close the world came to losing people like me — long before our stories even had a chance to u

Today is my Whippleversary — January 24th — a day I’ll always remember, and a story I’ll always carry with a full and grateful heart. Seven years ago, in 2019, I rolled out of surgery with more tubes than style points… and still managed to throw up my arms like a tiny-but-mighty superhero. Then came eight rounds of chemo, long days, long nights, and an 18% five-year survival rate staring me down like a bad Dr. Seuss villain. But y’all know how this story goes. I thunk my thou

A gentle closing to the Sleep & Sanctuary Series We all have those nights — the restless ones, the late ones, the emotional ones, the I-know-better-but-here-I-am ones. Sometimes it’s work, sometimes it’s the people we love, sometimes it’s travel, sometimes it’s preparing a loaf of sourdough that keeps us up until midnight (guilty), or sometimes it’s simply life doing what life does. But here’s the truth I want you to hear softly and clearly, the way you’d whisper it to someon

A cozy, coastal-calm guide from someone who has tried… a lot of things, so you don’t have to. If you’ve ever stood in the “sleep aisle” at Whole Foods or Target with a lavender spray in one hand and magnesium gummies in the other, wondering if you’re being scammed or saved… welcome. You’re in excellent company. I’ve tested the lotions, potions, gadgets, lights, masks, and all the pretty promises. Some truly transform your nights. Some are sweet little luxuries. And some? Well

One of the sweetest things I’ve learned on this sleep journey is that good sleep doesn’t begin at night. It actually begins the moment we wake up. The choices we make in the first hour of the day set the tone for our hormones, our mood, our energy, and even how easily we fall asleep later that night. And the science behind it is just as beautiful as it sounds. Let me share the morning cues that have changed everything for me — gentle, natural, and deeply supportive. ☀️1. Lett

If you’re already thinking about refreshing your space — new colors, new textures, a little redesign — what if you also designed your home to protect your sleep, your nervous system, and your peace? It feels like we’re in a moment where people are craving calm again. Design trends are shifting away from stark, sterile spaces and moving toward warmth, softness, and nature. Greens are coming back. Earth tones. Organic textures. Rooms that feel lived in, loved, and gentle. And I

What if the secret to better sleep, calmer evenings, brighter mornings, and a more peaceful life wasn’t a pill or a supplement… but the light you live in every single day? Let’s talk about the lighting that heals us, holds us, softens us, and—when we understand it—loves us back. I’ve been thinking a lot about light lately—how much it affects our energy, our hormones, our mood, and especially our sleep. Most of us never learned how powerful light really is. We adjust lamps, tu

There’s something sacred about the way evenings invite us to soften. The world quiets, our pace slows, and our bodies begin whispering that gentle request: come home to yourself. And yet—so many of us rush through the most important part of the day for our long-term health and emotional well-being. We forget that sleep doesn’t begin the moment our head touches the pillow. Good sleep begins hours earlier, as our nervous system unwinds and our brains shift from the energy of th