In the spirit of sabbatical self-care, ABG is on hiatus this week as I’m shifting energy from online to offline, and giving my apartment a fresh coat of paint.
The Antidote to Anxiety, and How to Use It in Our Everyday Lives
For Cathy, this past week was a first for Beck and I, twice over. The “first first” was co-leading a wine tasting in North Carolina, and the “second first” was co-presenting a mini-workshop to teenagers and parents on how to manage anxiety. Know what they had in common? Taking a pause.
What An Old Watch Has Taught Me About Meditation
A sidewalk sale wasn’t exactly the most obvious place to find a new meditation teacher, but it was an old watch that taught Beck new reminders about meditation.
5 Ideas for Balancing Deadlines with Self-Compassion
Deadlines are inescapable. Which, in the interest of our personal mental health, also means that self-compassion is not optional. This week, Cathy Huyghe offers up ways to go a little easier on ourselves if we miss a "D" date:
Why We Retreat - Stepping Back to Move Forward
In business, the concept of ‘retreat’ can carry a negative connotation – a failed deal, not fulfilling obligations, stepping back from the opportunity, and ultimately not winning. But in a mindful practice, where we observe both the human self and the spiritual self, to retreat gives us the opportunity to step back, check in with our emotional state, and rebalance to find the clarity to move forward.
Olympic-Level Self-Talk, and the One Word that Makes All the Difference
The thing about self-talk for Olympians, is that It’s off-camera. It’s subconscious. It isn’t visible, yet there is no action without it. Self-talk has also been with those Olympic athletes their whole lives as well. So what’s the difference between their self-talk and ours?
Setting Boundaries and Other Herculean Feats
The decision of Simone Biles this week at the Tokyo Olympics to withdraw from the US Olympics gymnastics team is, to me, one of the most inspiring feats in athletic history. While her decision may seem incomprehensible to some, may Biles’ decision inspire anyone to say, in their own way, stop.
Expert Tips to Bone Up on Your Bone Health
One in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 will be diagnosed with osteoporosis. An average, 54 million Americans have osteoporosis. This week guest contributor Melanie Young offers practical and insightful advice of helping managing bone health.
10 Reasons to Dance. (Yes, Dance.)
Dancing? It’s a topic that sounds like it’s coming out of left field. But this week Cathy shares ten reasons why dancing has skyrocketed up her list of favorite activities these past few months.
2 Big and Completely Unexpected Upsides to Meditation
The thing about meditation is that no matter how many times you do it, there's something else to uncover. So this week Cathy shares why this week's focus on meditation is worth returning to. If there's ever been a time to uncover the quieter, still parts of ourselves, it might be right now.
Think Alcohol-Free is Boring? These 7 Winners Will Prove Your Tastebuds Wrong
We like to road test as many products as possible before we put our name to them as "ABG Recommended." So this week we took some time to sit down and taste some non-alcohol offerings to see if we could find some interesting gems in this newly emerging category.
A Too-Good-to-Be-True Tool to Navigate the Chaos
This week, Cathy explores a technique for calm that has been described as “an apparently pointless process” and “pivotal to creative recovery,” - check it out!
The ABG Community Weighs In on Wine Travel After COVID
Seems the ABG community is getting back on the road, so this week we share some insights from the early-opening road warriors:
Wine Travel, Revisited: Getting Back in the Post-COVID Game
Long-haul work travel is starting up again, and this week, Cathy reports in from Spain on the strange and familiar parts of returning to the road. Read the full story at the website here:
Mindful Drinking: Time for a Mid-Year Tune Up?
Is it me, or are there a plethora of mindful drinking, consumption reduction and/or “sober-lit” articles lately? With a ton of online stories swirling, I revisited the story I wrote for ABG in January, on How to Put Mindful Drinking on Your 2021 List. I ran a scorecard on how I’m doing with my own consumption habits.
From Wine Director to Campground Manager – Varying Degrees of Guilt and Joy
This week, guest writer @amycurrens shares how she swapped her wine key for a campground pass over the Summer.
Considering Loss and Grief in the ABG Community
Loss, and grief aren’t typically topics of casual, everyday conversation, yet those topics have arisen frequently enough these past few weeks that it’s worth some attention and exploration.
Finding Joy at the Wine Writers Symposium
When I was accepted to the Wine Writers Symposium, I told nobody, because I felt that same fear. But on Monday, as all the new and familiar faces started filling up the Zoom screen, I realized that it was happening. I was terrified.
ABG Moms Say the Darndest Things
ABG Moms say the darndest things, and I don’t just mean our Aussie friends from last week’s post! (Though, you have to admit, they pretty much take the cake, swearing and all.)
Juggling, Jostling and a Good Dash of Swearing: 2021 Harvest, Aussie Mum-Style
As the 2021 annual vintage in Australia winds to a close, and in honor of Mother’s Day next Sunday, May 9 (don’t forget the flowers folks!), this week we check in on nine female winemaking and viticultural mums who are wrapping up harvest in Australia to see how they got through vintage.