There are people we admire. There are people we respect. And then there are the rare souls we somehow carry with us long before we fully understand why. For me, that person has always been Marilyn Monroe. Or perhaps I should say… Norma Jeane Baker. From the time I was in middle school until I graduated from high school, every June 1st I bought Marilyn a birthday cake. My family would indulge me and gather around and sing “Happy Birthday” to a woman who had been gone for years

Every healthy choice is an investment. Some investments earn interest in dollars. Others pay dividends in energy, strength, clear thinking, resilience, and the freedom to fully participate in your own life. Those dividends often become most valuable years—or even decades—after you make the investment. It's easy to look at healthy living and think about everything we're supposed to avoid. Less sugar. Less alcohol. Less processed food. But perhaps we've been looking at it the w

When I first began reading about Empress Elisabeth of Austria—known affectionately as "Sisi"—I expected to meet one of history's great beauties. Instead, I met one of history's great free spirits. And perhaps that is what made her truly beautiful. Long before I learned about her famous waist, her ankle-length hair, or the portraits that captivated Europe, I learned one simple fact that made me smile. The young Emperor Franz Joseph traveled to meet Elisabeth's older sister, wh

Pain is never the gift. The gift is discovering that even after life cracks us, we can create something beautiful enough to let the light shine through.