give the gift of wellness
THE PULSE: Be Impeccable with Your Word
THE GOOD AND THE OH, SO GOOD!
It’s hard to believe we’re about to enter the final month of 2022. The holiday season has officially begun, as has the countdown to 2023. What moments of joy stand out for you? What are you most proud of so far this year? What’s something new that you’ve learned about yourself? Over these next few weeks, give yourself time to reflect on the good that this year has brought to your life.
THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK
In terms of energy this week, the book "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz comes to mind. Notably the First Agreement, "Be impeccable with your word." It's a week to think carefully before you speak. We like to say, say what you mean and mean what you say. Be honest. Be kind. It is possible to do both at the same time. We promise.
MAKE SOMEONE'S DAY
And now that we're officially in the season of giving, what are small acts of thoughtfulness that you can bring to others over these next few weeks? You can make someone’s day with the tiniest of gestures. And if you’re in the market for some gifts that are good for you and the world — this week’s podcast has you covered. Meet Frank Ricciardi who's mission and company is making it EASY to shop well to be well. Read on.
LATEST PODCAST: Give the Gift of Wellness
We caught up with our friend Frank Ricciardi on this week’s podcast. Frank is the founder and CEO of Maavee, a wellness experience platform that makes it easy to discover and connect to the best of wellness. Maavee is committed to positively impacting the world through the pursuit of well-being. Frank created Maavee out of his own personal fascination and sheer frustration as he attempted to navigate the wellness market. He and his team have not only scoured the planet for the best wellness products and services, they've evaluated brands to ensure that they have a visible commitment to the environment, society, and consumers. We felt like this is the perfect time of year to introduce you to Maavee, so that you can give yourself and your loved ones the gift of wellness. Here are some highlights from our powerful conversation: ROBYN + KAREN: Where did the name Maavee come from and what is Maavee’s mission? FRANK: Maavee means “my life” in French by pronunciation, not by this spelling. When we started this company, we had already had an Aha! Moment that there was a correlation between the pursuit of wellbeing and life. In fact, we decided that they're the same thing. We just decided to change a couple letters from the French spelling, but it’s said the same way and the intention is about life. Our mission is to positively impact the world through the pursuit of well-being. We know that the more people who discover their own personal wellbeing journey, the better the world. We also really believe in the power of the collective. The power of everyone working together to have impact. One way we do it is by looking for the best possible wellness products and services on the planet and make them discoverable on your personal wellness journey. And we leverage the power of this family of brands to help each other do more. We created a community among the brands in order to inspire each other and to educate each other about what we're all doing. We bring resources to the table to help everyone accelerate both their own business growth, but also their social impact. So we leverage the power of the collective, and also influence one life at a time. R+K: Maavee is such a unique offering and came from your personal mission and pursuit of wellness. Where did the inspiration to create Maavee come from? FRANK: For me, seeking center is a real thing. I've always been on that path to wanting more. When COVID happened and we went into lockdown and wellness was on my mind, I became fascinated by Instagram wellness ads. I was enamored by the beauty of them and I started ordering stuff. But I will tell you that nine times out of ten, when I unpacked what I ordered, I was dissatisfied. And there were really two reasons. One was the gap between what the marketing said and being uninspired by what I received. And the second was the minute I ordered something on Instagram, I got another ad for the same thing, different brand, better ad, better messaging, and I was like, which one should I have ordered? And I realized that it's a complicated market. When I dug into it I found out that the wellness market is a $4.4 trillion market globally. It’s ugly and complex. And so the first notion of Maavee was there's gotta be a better way to discover “Great.”
R+K: What does the definition of wellness mean to you? FRANK: Never in our human history have we ever aspired more to be well than today. It's part of everyday conversation now. At Maavee, we realized that while it was really important to make it easy to discover the best of wellness, it’s also the notion that your journey is different from mine. Your needs, your interests, your environment, your context, your passion, your problems, are unique. It's constantly changing and fluid. There are infinite answers, which means that you have to find a way to navigate the journey. You need to find the one that works for you in the moment and be okay that the answer might be different tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. R+K: How has the definition of wellness changed over these last few years? FRANK: Today, wellness is no longer about working out and eating healthy and stopping smoking. Well-being is your body, your mind, your heart, your soul, work, money and planet. We can no longer separate our own wellbeing from that of the world in which we live. Part of your own individual wellness journey is to be a great global citizen and good to our planet and good to each other, right? We just need to give everyone the tools to make it easy. And I guess the last thing I would say is it's no longer "woo woo" stuff. Wellness is no longer something that only hippies do. It's the things that we all do now, whereas mindfulness and meditation 20 years ago was like a new age thing. There’s literally data that says if you meditate and are mindful you can prevent disease. And now healthcare treatment and wellness prevention are converging in a meaningful way. R+K: So how does Maavee answer that calling to understand your own personal wellness journey? FRANK: Maavee has a couple of ways that we can help you to discover your personal wellness journey. The Maavee app is available to employers as a well-being benefit to employees. Quite simply, the employer puts money in the digital wallet of the employee via the Maavee app to spend on the best wellness products and services. The employee gets to choose the right experience for them, as we just said wellness is personal. Maavee Goods is also taking all of the great products and services that we've curated in the app and making them available directly to consumers at maaveegoods.com to give everyone access to all of Maavee’s goods and services. This also fulfills our mission to make it easy for everyone to discover the best of wellness. Those are the two Maavee offerings, the Maavee app and maaveegoods.com. Visit Maaveegoods.com to find out more about the wellness products we discussed today and to discover many more – plus, to give the gift of wellness to someone else. You can also tell your employer about the Maavee app and have them visit GoMaavee.com. Listen to the full episode.
SECRET POWER: Turn Your Inspirations into Manifestations
Frank has always been a seeker with an insatiable appetite to seek out new things. He is also a thought leader who has followed through on his inspiration to follow his dream. Frank shares his go-to advice to get you centered and help turn your inspirations into manifestations. 1. The Magic of Inspired Action: For me, it became clear when starting Maavee that it needed to be inspired action. There's just as much power in being open to let what inspires you take the lead and then letting it unfold. I love testing it out, proving to myself that is how life actually works. 2. The Art of Divine Timing: For me, the other thing is the “art of allowing” and knowing when it's the right timing to really push something forward. For all of the work and all the action, and all of the pushing forward to move the needle and make stuff happen, being aware and trusting that everything is unfolding at the right time is extremely important. 3. The Power of Awareness: I don't want to say that meditation is my only practice. For me, the spiritual practice of awareness is where I get inspired. I'm constantly being mindful and aware of the things that help my story unfold. This has really helped me “allow” things to happen. I find myself just trying to be more aware of what the moment is offering to me. 4. Look for signs: When you start to see the patterns or you start to see the signs it is a signal to take inspired action. Act on your inspiration. 5. Wellness is a Journey not a Destination: To sum it up, like everything in life, wellness is a journey, not a destination. And that's what we anchor our entire business on. We are always learning, adapting and growing.
THE DOWNLOAD: Your Life's Journey
Our weekly downloads are complementary yet again. We’re all reminded about the importance of this life’s journey – be aware that you are on the journey, and that you are also making milestones for our soul. Plus, insightful guidance and encouragement for this very moment.
ROBYN’S DOWNLOAD
We're on a boat. It's moving slowly and it's dusk. It's as though there's ice and cold coming our way. We must put on our warm clothes and get ready to push our way through. There's a knowing that it's the last part of the trek and on the other side it becomes easier to move and we'll glide forward. Right now though, we're in the thick of it.
We are all in the thick of things. We're pushing forward with all of our might. Sometimes you need to let things melt and reveal themselves to you. You don't have to push that hard. Remember that. It will become clear -- this path that you so desperately want to see, it will reveal itself. It's just slow at times. We as a society have become so used to instant gratification. Things happening at breakneck speed and we’re always so immediately responsive. The Universe is responding but on its own time, not the time that culture has set as a precedent. That can be challenging to accept and understand. The more you can accept the easier this will all become. We've become so accustomed to everything happening immediately and in fact that isn't how things usually work. Answers will reveal themselves.
Have patience. You've been told this before and we're reminding you again. Have patience it will serve you.
The feather in the cap though is that you are so close to the unfolding. Things unfold each day--they may be smaller and more granular shifts, but they are happening.
Don't give up. Don't lose hope. Don't lose faith.
Focus on family. Focus on faith. It is the anchor. The root of all. There is no life here on Earth without family, without faith. Family is what you make it. It is not biological. We can create family wherever we are, and at any age. Don't think of it as the traditional who you are born into -- that can be family as well, but it is not always the family that keeps you going throughout life. You can choose your family -- remember that. And family comes in all sizes. Who is your family? Use this time to let them know how much you cherish them.
Life is about moments. Life is about the journey. You are getting to your next marker in this life and then you will be on to the next one -- with patience. With time. With love and lessons learned.
Be well. We are always with you.
KAREN’S DOWNLOAD
Lean in to gratitude even on the days when your bounty might seem less than abundant
When there might be a comparative lack to those others who seem to have accumulated so much
Measurements on earth are so limiting - it is perception versus reality.
We are all here on our journey to accumulate different things.
Some are tangible
Some are emotional
Some are experiences
All are milestones of the soul
Be grateful for all you have been given and have manifested
It is part of the incredible story that is you
The story that is not about you but for you.
The you that your highest self remembers and understands
The measures of the soul are not earthly measures
They are treasures to be found in grief, in patience, in failure, in acceptance, in aspiring always to do and be your best possible self.
Your soul sees you through the eyes of love.
Love is the only real measure there is.
And love and gratitude are one.
SEEKING CENTER PODCAST SCHEDULE
NOVEMBER 1: Sound Healing: Tuning into the Vibration of Your Soul
NOVEMBER 8: Intuition 101 + Prepping For A Psychic/Medium Reading
NOVEMBER 15: Tapping into Emotion + Body Code to Release the Past + Heal
NOVEMBER 22: The Magic of Tea + Tarot
NOVEMBER 29:Give the Gift of WellnessWE WANT TO BE FRIENDSWe want to hear from you.
Are you at a crossroads in your life? Are you seeking guidance? What do you want to hear about? What practices have you tried? Do you have a healer or practitioner or spiritual modality that we need to know about?
Email us: connect@seekingcenter.app
And follow us on instagram at @seekingcenterofficial.