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This is my fight song?

by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Growth Opportunities

I was four years old when JFK was assassinated; my only memory is of my mother crying as she vacuumed. Five years later, I was vaguely aware of the Chicago 7 and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, but I was still too young to fully grasp the battle lines being drawn—the fight for civil rights, the fury of those who felt betrayed by our government.

Today, the speed at which the Trump-Vance-Musk administration is seizing control of the U.S. government is dizzying and crazy-making. Chaos is their strategy. Keeping the entire country off balance is intentional.

Musk and his mini-mes have seized control of the Treasury payments system, Social Security, and Internal Revenue systems. They’ve unilaterally cut off government funding without congressional approval, openly defying court orders to restore it. This is blatantly illegal—yet Congress does nothing.

Where is the outrage? Where is the accountability? Where is the organized, lawful resistance?

Since it doesn’t look like we can rely on our elected officials to lead, what can we do as everyday citizens to protest the damage being inflicted by the Trump-Musk regime?

We can protest. We can speak out. We can boycott. We can unify our voices to be heard through the noise.

Shortly after the election, I put my FOMO aside to delete my Facebook and Instagram accounts. This was not just in protest, but a proactive choice to protect my mental health. A few days later I took the Amazon app off my phone and haven’t placed another order since. I’m not only supporting local businesses, I’m saving money. If I have to go out and buy it, I have time to rethink the impulse purchase.

These steps, though small, seed the greater goal of becoming more intentional in my choices and the impact I can make as one person.

Finding support and connecting with like-minded people has been invaluable.

Without the constant scrolling on Facebook and Instagram, I’ve had more time to explore Substack, where I’ve discovered insightful writers who keep me informed and inspire action. Here are some of my favorites:

  • The Contrarian   A central hub for unbowed, and uncompromising reported opinion and on the opposition to the authoritarian threat.

  • Robert Reich   Growing a community of people committed to spreading the truth and contributing to a better world.

  • Lexi’s Substack  Cyber security and protection in the new age.

  • The Shutdown 315 Movement  A critical-mass movement of coordinated economic protest.  

Resources to help you take action on a local and national level:

  • The Indivisible Project   Information for all levels of activism.

  • 5 Calls   Call and write your local representatives. Change begins at home.

  • ACLU   The American Civil Liberties Union protects the constitution.

  • Freedom from Religion Foundation Maintaining clear separation of church and state.

  • Transequality.org   To protect the legal and political rights of transgender people.

  • Protest.net   Acclaimed resource by the NYT, joining this national database takes a few steps because it’s not reliant on traditional servers.

Finally, here are some resources I’ve found helpful for staying grounded.

  • Onbeing Project   Curated resources on art, culture, spirituality and growth

  • Pulling the Thread   Elise Loehnen’s focus on culture and why do we do what we do.

  • Reconstructing Faith   Exploring the intersection of ministry, theology, culture, and faith formation with Pastor Kevin Young

  • Clarity in Chaos   An interesting look at faith and politics with Pastor Wendel Hutchins

  • Protest Music Project   Music that grapples with our present world or confronts pressing problems affecting humanity.

A Request…

During my workout this morning, Ball of Confusion by The Temptations came on, and it sparked an idea—to create a public playlist we can share, not just to resist, but to unite through this challenging time.

I’ve kicked things off, but I’d love your help. Here’s the link. Please add songs that inspire and uplift, not just ones that fuel anger.

Despite what some people would have us think, we’re in this together—and together, we have power.

How do you handle a shit storm?

by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Uncategorized

We sit on a park bench on a beautiful fall day. I am crying as Herb strokes my shoulder. I feel like a failure. I’ve been careless with our marriage and caused damage. The grief sits between us, heavy and silent. I don’t know what to do except cry.

Herb taps my hand. “Hey,” he whispers, “check her out,” nodding toward an old woman half dancing, flailing about the trail.

She’s a tiny human meteor dressed in ancient blue culottes, an oversized, stained t-shirt, black socks, and pink clogs. She’s half-singing, half-yelling—something akin to an aria.

“That’s you,” Herb says, “when you stop giving a damn.”

I can’t help it. I laugh, not just because my husband is kind, but because it’s true.

Several years ago, after visiting a group of women in Washington state, I mailed each of them a short-sleeved t-shirt imprinted with “ZERO F$%ks GIVEN.” We’d decided to proudly give fewer f$%ks as we age and I wanted to celebrate that.

I never saw them again. A few months later, I ended my lifelong friendship with the woman who had introduced us. Her legendary misbehavior with men hit a little too close to home. When I found out, I most certainly gave a f$%k.

Inflection points help us remember what matters.

When Herb had a health scare in 2018, I decided it was time to sell my Pilates studio. My former manager bought it right before COVID, (poor dear), but we pulled together to make it through. I feel lucky to still work there. Imagine being able to teach a class, shut the door, and go home!

But without the distraction of running a business, I often feel anxious and unsettled.

Some days all I do is make soup. Others, I bring my coffee to bed and sink back into the pillows. I can babysit on short notice and go hours without checking my email. I’ve given up booze, edibles, and quit Facebook and Instagram, but the pile of packages in my closet is a testament to my latest addiction. I might have to start my own Poshmark store.

On the worst days, I feel like a human pinball, ricocheting about, desperate for a toehold to evade the dreaded gobble hole. Why?

What do I give a f$%k about these days? Medicare?

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, while grilling on the patio with friends, Herb’s leg goes numb. He asks me to fetch his hiking pole—he cannot walk. One of our guests, a doctor, gives Herb a once-over to rule out an aneurysm or stroke. Ignoring suggestions to go to the hospital, Herb insists we go on with the evening, and we have fun.

But the pain is worse the next day, and he can’t walk without the pole. He still can’t.

Timing is everything. And ours sucks.

We vow to go to the ER the next morning. I leave to teach a class to give Herb time to get ready. I call on my way, but he doesn’t answer. Alarmed, I find him in the bedroom, without his phone.

“My hip dislocated again,” he sighs.

“What? How?” I shrill.

“Tying my shoe.”

“I’ll call the ambulance.” We know the drll.

It’s impossible to see a doctor during the holidays unless you go to the emergency room. We go several times, searching for the source of his pain and a solution for his immobility. One doctor says it’s his hip, another his back—neither offers help other than pain meds, but he needs the pain meds.

Between constant pain and my hovering like Aunt Bea, Herb’s Christmas isn’t very merry.

Every time he sits on the commode or attempts laundry, I scream, “Don’t do that! Are you crazy? Don’t bend over! Your hip will pop out!”

He looks at me like he wants to hit me with his hiking pole. I know I’m smothering him but I can’t help it.

He misses his nice wife, but I miss mine, too. Herb took care of everything, and now I have to. I pout.

We watch a lot of television and wonder if this is our new life. When the hell did we get old?

I sulk, and ask the most useless question ever, “Why us, God? Why us?”

More accurately, I’m asking, “Why me, God? Why me?” feeling very sorry for myself. I’m pitiful, and this is bullshit.

My dad comes to me in a dream. He sits next to the bed, smiling and laughing. He is smiling and laughing at me. I know this smile.

“Knock it off,” he whispers. “You know better. So do better.”

I rouse to rebuff him, but he waves me off.

“Life is horrible, messy, and unpredictable,” he reminds me. “So what? Nobody gets out of this alive. Look at what makes your life worth living—who makes your life worth living, and be happy about it.”

Dammit. He’s always right.

I go back to sleep and wake up with a renewed sense of appreciation. Hot dog! I can see past my nose again! Rather than dwelling on the chaos, I choose to be grateful for our family—the ones who show up when we need them, to shovel our drive, carry in wood, and provide a much-needed distraction.

I think of the co-workers who step in to cover my classes at the last minute and the friends who bring flowers, groceries, treats, and home-cooked meals.

I’m grateful for the phone calls, thoughtful texts, well-wishes, and prayers that have been offered for Herb and me. It reminds me that it’s not all about me, and I feel blessed to have such incredible support.

We leave this week for the Mayo Clinic, where Herb will have spine surgery. We’re excited but realistic about what’s ahead.

I’m sorry for being difficult, Herb. Thank you for loving me and making me laugh, even when your back and butt hurt.

Thank you, God, for skilled surgeons and a well-timed oxycodone.

Thank you for reminding me that I always have a choice in how I respond, no matter how crazy, unhinged, or incomprehensible the world may seem.

It’s easy to slip into self-pity, judgment, and cynicism when I feel triggered and overwhelmed. At those times, it makes me want to don some culottes, put on pink clogs, and run people over at the park.

Zero f$%ks given is not a zero-sum game. The losses are devastating and real. We’re seeing that now.

The question is: what can we do? What are we doing?

I can hear my dad’s voice: “Love one another. Treat others as you would have them treat you.”

The Golden Rule is so simple, yet so powerful.

Don’t give up. Give a f$%k about one another, and watch the world change.

What are you doing to stay grounded in difficult times? I think I need to know.

Metabolism Makeover 2025

by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Food for Thought, Health and Wellness

Are you ready for a post-holiday Metabolism Makeover? 

Me, too.

Join me for a 10-Day Reset designed to heal and support metabolic health based on the book GOOD ENERGY, written by Dr. Casey Means.

I have been a fan of Dr. Means for several years, having discovered her research/blog when creating and offering my own Blood Sugar and Metabolic Health programs.

In medical school, Dr. Means became disillusioned with medicine’s failure to adequately address the most pressing and pervasive causes of disease in our country. Ultimately she left surgery to practice functional medicine and eventually founded, Levels Health, which uses continuous glucose monitors to help people track their metabolic health.

When I came across Dr. Mean’s book and corresponding video series, I was blown away.

Her ability to distill complex processes into simple, applicable steps towards better metabolic health (aka, “Good Energy”) inspired me to curate a program based on her research and book.

The Metabolic Makeover is your shortcut and support for creating your own “Good Energy” in 2025.

Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, converting food energy to cellular energy.

We need healthy mitochondria to break food down into ATP, the cellular “currency” that pays for all the activities inside your 200+ types of cells.

The Problem: Modern life has caused big problems in how our bodies produce ATP, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction.

In the US,  88% of adults have some type of metabolic dysfunction.  Overtaxed and damaged mitochondria produce less ATP production, more fat stored inside cells, which inhibits normal cellular function throughout the body.

Oxidative stress
When our mitochondria aren’t working properly, they sputter out reactive molecules called reactive oxygen species, otherwise known as free radicals, which causes damage to our cells, leading to further dysfunction. 

Chronic inflammation
Mitochondrial dysfunction in the body is perceived as a threat,  triggering an inflammatory response.  This defensive response becomes chronic because the perceived threat doesn’t go away. And it won’t go away  unless the environment changes.

Dr. Mean’s “Good Energy” book outlines strategies to optimize our metabolic function via “Good” vs. “Bad” energy.

What is “Good Energy?”
Good energy is having a good metabolism. It means your mitochondria work well and your body can use, make, and process cellular energy effectively.

Metabolism refers to the set of cellular mechanisms that transform food into energy that can power every single cell in the body.

When we are metabolically optimized, we have:

  • Sustained energy and stamina
  • Increased brain acuity and focus
  • Better hormone balance and moods
  • Restful, restorative sleep

“Bad Energy” is poor metabolism and all the choices and choices that lead to metabolic dysfunction. 

In this course, you’ll learn practical, actionable strategies to leverage good energy for better health, beginning at its source: the cells.

      Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?

      This program is for you … 

      • If You’re suffering from any of these issues
      • If you’ve wandered off your health path the past few weeks
      • If you can more easily commit to change when you understand the WHY behind the process, and
      • If you get better  results with structure and group support.

      What can you expect?

      The Makeover includes: 

      • The Good Energy Book by Dr. Casey Means
        (shipped to you upon sign up)

      • 8 Segment Video Corresponding Video Series ~ 

      • (2) Group Coaching Calls via Zoom
        • Kick Off & Follow Up
        • Thursdays @ 7 pm Jan 16 & 30

      • 20% Off Optional Support Supplements
        • Pendulum GLP-1 Products
        • Recommended Blood Sugar & Metabolism Supplements

      • 15% Off Specialized Services
        • 3 1/2 hour sessions $175 (reg. $210)
        • Metabolic Panel Lab Order and Functional Review $329 (reg. $389)
      Just $99
      SIGN ME UP AND SEND ME THE BOOK!

      Click this link if you prefer to pay via VenMo.

      There’s no reason to continue feeling frustrated. anxious and exhausted.  Help is here.

      I'M IN! ~ SEND ME MY BOOK!

      The sooner you register, the sooner you can begin reading!

      Questions?  I’m always here to answer your questions and support you in your journey.

      I know from personal experience how important having a circle of support is!   Join us!

      optional services

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      Labs don’t lie. Keep track of your metabolic health via comprehensive blood lab testing and a functional review.  Learn what OPTIMAL vs NORMAL ranges have to say about your health.

      Customized and personal. Contact Tina for more information,

      This is 65.

      by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Growth Opportunities, Reflections

      I turn sixty-five this month, which is weird and amazing. I look in the mirror and see me, only me, 2.0. It turns out that doing less has provided more. And not all of those “mores” have been easy to accept.

      But if we are lucky, we get to keep learning. And for that, I am grateful for being a crone.

      Let me get more specific. I like being older, wiser, and more comfortable in my skin. I’m not as fond of hip replacements, sagging parts, and sun damage, but that’s the compromise we make. It’s all in the way we look at it.

      In folklore, a crone is an ugly old woman, (think Hansel and Gretel, or the Wicked Witch of the East.) In youth-obsessed America, she’s often dismissed and forgotten.

      But, indigenous cultures around the world hold post-menopausal women in high esteem.

      They are the wisdom keepers, healers, and teachers. Experience has taught them the secrets of life and death and the mysteries beyond this world.

      Age is not a liability, it’s a gift. I can get on board with that.

      Sixty-five has brought rich opportunities for both reviewing my life and dreaming the next chapters into being. Stepping out of the momentum tunnel of the past has allowed me to discern the thread of a new destiny. As old stories die, the future pulls me forward.

      This isn’t a rewrite, it’s a rebirth.

      Life is a series of small deaths and births. If I’d had more trust, I could have suffered less in the dying. But that had to die, too.

      I became a Grandmother at sixty-three. I am 100% in love with my grandson.

      The freedom that comes from not being the primary caregiver opens endless possibilities. I’m able to give George the love I was unable to give my sons. 

      I had it. I just didn’t know how to access it.

      My grandmothers knew how to love and they poured it into me. Mamaw taught me how to cook and Rose Nell how to sew. Both taught me about God, faith, and responsibility. They weren’t educated, but they were wise. They were unassuming, but not passive.

      It wasn’t what they said; it was what they did. 

      With the strength of mountains, my grandmothers helped plant the seeds of my becoming. I knew who I was with them and who I could grow up to be. Their steadfast tether gave me the courage to fly. They were my home.

      I want to be that force for George. I can do that by showing up, listening, and being a fun but grounding influence.

      The hardest part is knowing he’s going to get hurt facing the challenges in life. Part of me wants to protect him; the other part wants to initiate him. But since neither is my responsibility I’ve come up with a list of lessons I hope help him see the doorways within life’s distress.

      I’m not sure when I will give it to him. I guess I’ll wait until he can read.

      Like George, I am young and still growing.  I used to need to know where I was going. I don’t anymore.

      Many years ago, I was given the name Hummingbird at a spiritual healing retreat in Belize.  I assumed it was because I was overly busy, anxious, and flighty. Only recently have I learned about Hummingbird’s medicine.

      These tiny creatures fly from Brazil to Canada each year and need a huge amount of nectar to survive. They don’t worry about where they’re going to get this nectar, they trust an inner conviction that all will be well. 

      The hummingbird signifies healing, perseverance, freedom, and joy. In some cultures it is regarded as a spiritual messenger, linking our head to our hearts, the physical and spiritual worlds.

      With her magical ability to fly in all four directions as well as in stillness, this small but powerful totem calls us to destiny, daring us to embark on our own epic journey.

      George and I have some flying to do. 

      Promising New Science on Weight Loss Drug Alternatives

      by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Food for Thought, Health and Wellness

      With three-quarters of Americans obese or overweight, interest in weight-loss treatments is at an all-time high.

      Three injectable medications have dominated the spotlight of late: Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro. These once-a-week, injectable drugs are so popular in fact, that pharmacies routinely run out of stock.

      Wegovy is FDA-approved for obesity. Ozempic and Mounjaro are FDA-approved for diabetes. 

      These medications known as GLP-1 agonists are designed to manage blood sugar levels and help reduce hunger and food intake, thus potentially supporting weight loss.

      They function in a variety of ways to help curb hunger, increase feelings of satiety, increase insulin sensitivity, balance blood sugar, and support weight loss.

      Recently, Oprah Winfrey hosted a prime- time special on these medications and the criticism that providers prescribe it too liberally off-label for weight loss.

      Weight Watchers, and Noom, long advocates of lifestyle change focusing on diet and exercise have added prescription weight loss drugs approved to treat obesity, such as Wegovy and Ozempic.

      Offering the medications within a structured program of diet and exercise, advocates say, increases the chance of long-term success, and acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that requires chronic treatment.

      While drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic might seem like a miracle to those with diabetes and obesity, the truth is the effects only last while you are taking the medication.

      A study published in the Journal for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism in April 2022, which examined changes in body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors upon the termination of the drug, found that after a year people had regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost.

      The positive changes they had seen in cardiometabolic risk factors like blood pressure, blood lipids, HbA1c, and C-reactive protein had similarly reversed.

      How do these drugs work?

      Semiglutide weight loss drugs work via complex metabolic processes to mimic a hormone called GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1).

      GLP-1 is a hormone (a natural chemical in the body) produced in the small intestine. It stimulates insulin secretion (which then allows cells to take up glucose) and inhibits glucagon secretion (which prevents more glucose from going into the bloodstream) to lower blood sugar levels.

      GLP-1 helps to reduce food intake, appetite and hunger and promotes fullness and satiety with the ultimate result of promoting weight loss.

      Research suggests that people with obesity may have problems with GLP-1 production. As such, it has become a key focus in obesity, diabetes, and weight loss medications that function by mimicking it’s function.

      Is there a natural way to stimulate GLP-1 production without expensive monthly injections? 

      According to science, the answer is YES! And it all comes back to supporting our gut health, balancing our blood sugar with the help of a select combination of powerful probiotics.  

      My training in functional nutrition helped me offer past workshops on Gut Health (The Spring Cleanse), Blood Sugar & Hormone Balance, (The Blood Sugar Balance Program) and Anti-Aging, (The Big Rewind).  

      What all of these programs had in common was the knowledge that our body is one system that works interdependently.  The brain is not separate from the body. Our emotional health is not separate from our digestion. Our sleep hygiene is not separate from our brain function.

      All health is interconnected and it all starts in our gut.

      That's why I'm excited about the scienCE BEHIND glp-1 probiotics.

      I learned about Pendulum Life Therapeutics from two trusted functional physicians that I follow, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Kara Fitzgerald.  

      They both know and support the research and dedication of Pendulum CEO, Colleen Cutcliffe,  Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Johns Hopkins University.

      Colleen and her two co-founders, John and Jim, began this company because they saw a unique opportunity to apply next-generation DNA sequencing technologies and microbiological assays to the emerging microbiome science space. 

      Together, they have built the first and only facility in the U.S. that enables commercial-scale production of live Akkermansia and other next-generation strains.

      Pendulum products are high quality curated live probiotic strains designed to improve gut health, hormone balance and GLP-1 production to support your healthy weight. 

      They are a viable alternative to weight loss medications as they address the underlying issues that lead to metabolic dysfunction in the first place.  

      If you’re going to take something for the rest of your life to support your health, why not choose a product that is affordable, sustainable, and safe. 

      which product is best for you?

      Pendulum probiotics come in different combinations to address different issues.  It is important to understand which formula will best support you in your health journey.

      Learn more about the formulations by clicking the button below. 

      I’m also available to meet with you to discuss how to begin if that is something you’d prefer to do. 

      Email me at tina@tinasprinkle.com to schedule an appointment.

      Learn more about Pendulum Products

      a special offer for you

      You may purchase Pendulum products directly from the Pendulum website or you can get them for lower pricing via my Fullscript Practitioners Dispensary.

      Fullscript is an online dispensary supporting your wellness  by connecting the two people who know your health best — you and your practitioner. Accounts are $0/month.

      Sign up and save 15% off the already lower priced Pendulum Pro products offered via my FullScript Dispensary.

      Register for your FullScript Account

       Once you sign up, I’ll add an automatic 15% discount to all of your orders.  FullScript offers a huge catalogue of superior-quality nutraceuticals and supplements.

      TAKE A DEEPER DIVE

      This is a recording of the recent webinar I attended featuring Pendulum Founder Colleen Cutcliffe and Dr. Kara Fitzgerald on the science and mechanics behind these weight loss drug alternatives. 

      They explain the science behind GLP-1 and how select LIVE probiotics are effective in addressing our gut health and healthy weight.

      Questions?  I’m all ears! 

      Email me at tina@tinasprinkle.com

      The (Other) C Word

      by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Food for Thought, Growth Opportunities

      No, it’s not THAT C-word, (a word I have been rightly reprimanded for using in anger, arrogance, and for sheer shock value), the C-word I’m talking about is Calling.

      I started thinking about the word calling this morning. It was suggested by my meditation teacher, Scott Schwenk, a man I have never met or spoken to, a man I hear only as a deeply embodied voice via my headphones, coaxing me to presence each morning though a variety of breath-work, contemplative, and meditation practices. I practice daily not because I want to, but because I need to.

      Practice helps me take responsibility for how I show up in the world, not just for my family and friends, but also for the checkout person at Trader Joe’s, the intimidating handler at the Amazon Returns desk, and most of all, for myself, (the one with the capital S), because for the majority of my life, I wasn’t able to be there for her, and consequently not a lot of others, too.

      Calling isn’t cosmic.  It’s not something to earn. It’s actionable- a daily practice of aligning my better self with my still growing one to bring a better me forward each day. 

      Breathing helps me to quiet my nervous system and get still. It helps me return to a place of wholeness, the one that existed before life’s necessary nicks and wounds. 

      In his book, The Myth of Normal, Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture, Dr. Gabor Mate describes the creation of these wounds as not so much as what happens to us, but our reactions to them.  

      While he differentiates between Big T trauma and Little T trauma, all trauma impacts our perception of life. 

      No matter where we may fall on that continuum, from suffering outright abuse to being raised by loving parents who unwittingly failed to support us the way we needed, trauma, left unrecognized, distorts our consciousness.

      These wounds may lie dormant for years until something seemingly unrelated triggers a roaring reaction, or they may form rigid scars, leaving us numb, disconnected, and inflexible. If not acknowledged, all wounds undermine our capacity for wholeness, authenticity, and continued growth. 

      Unhealed trauma may manifest in relationship troubles, depression, anxiety, and addiction. 

      I’ve experienced all of the above.

      My response was to overwork, over drink, and over intensify everything. This constant state of flux helped to tamp down a nagging certainty that I was, at root, ‘not okay.’

      It was not possible for me to sit still.

      Instead I created and ran a successful business, married, divorced, dated, all the while attempting to raise my boys.

      For a long time my busyness paid off. Then, one day didn’t. 

      It was beyond burnout, it was spiritual bankruptcy. 

      All those years chasing “success” when what I’d truly longed for was significance.

      Since selling my business, I’ve had time more time to read, write, and reflect. John Ortberg’s quote showed me how I’d put the cart before the horse. My driving workaholism wasn’t proactive- it was protective. Significance is an inside job.

      Work helped medicate my unfinished business from childhood. In my case it was centered around my adoption.

      It didn’t matter that I was raised by parents who truly loved and cared for me, I couldn’t get over feeling abandoned. If my own mother didn’t want me, what was I worth?

      Shame is a merciless teacher, a bullying, manipulative liar. You can either believe shame’s lies or you can dare to look beneath them. The power of any bully is the power we give them. 

      Praying helped. I asked for courage and clarity from Spirit, God, the Big Kahuna.

      She told me to settle down, get quiet and listen. She told me to learn to be present.

      In his book, Storyworthy, elementary school teacher and professional storyteller, Matthew Dicks, invites readers to do something called “Homework for life.” This entails noting one small interaction or observation daily- experiences that not only help ground us in the present, but with one another, too.

      “It only takes five minutes to drop a sentence or two into a spreadsheet about something (anything) that touched you during the day,” he writes, “yet most people won’t do it. Instead, they’ll spend two hours watching television.” 

      I get it.  I love to watch television, or check emails or social media…

      Cultivating presence in this way is not only fun, it’s become a reliable spiritual practice.

      I now look for those small but powerful moments not only to ground me, but to elevate me. Grace, compassion, and kindness are easier to access in real time. 

      As a recovering Baptist, it’s also a good reminder that Wednesday is just a good a day to say AMEN as Sunday. Why starve for those big AH-HA moments, when all the small in-between moments are the ones that feed us?

      Doing “Homework for Life” is just one example of spiritual practice. Tuning into our breath, taking a walk, telling someone they matter, turning off the phone at the dinner table… There are a myriad of simple acts to help us open to presence and grace. 

      My new C-Word is Calling- the verb kind, not the noun kind. 

      It isn’t grandiose- it isn’t religious. It’s  excavating buried treasure, celebrating the simple, and taking time to recognize one other with authenticity and kindness. 

      In a world torn apart by disconnect and suffering, we have to try. Nothing changes until we do. 

      Jewish sage, Rabbi Hillel wrote, “In a place where no one behaves like a human being, you must strive to be human!”

      He also asked, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, who am I? And if not now, when?”

      These questions are still relevant today, and he wrote them in the 1st century, BC.

      Who are we? What to we want for our children?  What do we owe to our planet? What can we do individually to shift collectively?

      It’s a question about responsibility. It’s a mandate to be human. But first, we must hear the call.

      A man called Destiny

      by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Family Ties

      He hovers above, a shining pinpoint of light, so full of unconditional love, my eyes well immediately. Meditating, I float somewhere in between, held in my father’s embrace, a reminder of the tentative consciousness we inhabit.

      He was my first love, my first teacher, my safe place. 

      He was also the buffer between my Mother and me, loving her when I would not, an example of patience, tenderness, and compassion I could not yet comprehend. 

      When I ran away and got drunk in the eighth grade, he brought me home, but not before we stopped by the Hen House for toothpaste and a toothbrush. 

      When I was wild and rebellious, acting out and lashing out, he remained gentle and steadfast, never letting me forget my value.

       

      An only child of Irish immigrants, Ehret Oscar had curly hair, delicate features, and a sensitivity that no bully could resist.

      His parents made education a priority. With the support of Pat and Rose Nell Ramey, Ehret pursued a medical degree from Washington University after attending college on the GI Bill. 

       

      He met my mother, a diminutive 89-pound southern beauty at Barnes Hospital. Ruth Wylodene Sturdivant worked as a dietitian and he was in his residency. 

      They married and moved to Kansas City to begin his practice and start their family, He became a beloved OB/GYN but multiple miscarriages derailed their plans for children.

      That’s how my brothers and I became a family. It wasn’t an easy configuration. With Dad at the hospital and Mom left to mind us, we fell into the chasm between our parents. He was a stabilizing if often absent force; she was minimally present, chronically overwhelmed, and woefully ill-equipped for child-rearing.

      It was confusing and lonely for all of us.

       

      It takes me years to forgive him for leaving us alone with her, and even longer for me to cut her a break. Raising my boys helped. It’s trite to say she did the best she could, but she really did.

      After his stroke, my Father’s essence shines even brighter. Life’s extraneous noise rinsed clean, only his immense kindness remains. He was a man of faith; perhaps that helped him.

      By then I am in my late forties and taking care of him and my Mother. It wasn’t easy but it did help me grow up. 

      The week of his death, he labors at the breakfast table, so winded from congestive heart failure he can barely breathe. 

      Between arduous bites of Honey Nut Cheerios, he smiles, reaching for my hand, “So what are we going to do today?” 

      My heart and eyes sting because there is nothing we can do today, except wait. 

      “I think we’ll just hang out here, Dad,”  I answer. He pats my hand.

      My father died four days later.

      In those days, hospice left you with the morphine and told you how to administer it.

      I find his decline so painful that I decide to release him with a fatal dose. When I tell my younger brother, we hold each other in the kitchen and cry. We determine it will be the next dose, but when we go to give it to him, he is gone.

      Loving to the end, our father spares us once again.

       

       

      Mom and dad were happy travelers.

      We know he’s hung on to make sure we’ll be there to take care of our mother. Reluctant as I may be at that point, making such a vow is not done lightly. We all agree and that helps free him.

      When they come to retrieve his body, I don’t cry. I’m happy his suffering was over. The thing they take away is not my father.

       

      Dad died in 2008.

      A lot has happened in my life since then. I know my dad would be proud of me because he always was.

      Despite missing him, I feel his acute presence every day. 

      I hear his gentle voice singing a hymn, remember the way he put his arm around my mother, and recall his ornery laugh while telling one of his interminably long and painful jokes.

      For many years, I wondered about my birth parents – why they gave me up and who they were. I was sixty before I received that blessing in the form of discovering my half-siblings. We share a father whom I finally met via Zoom.

      He is not my father. He is just someone who got my birth mother pregnant.

       

      My father, Ehret Oscar Ramey, was and is a gentleman who loved with great strength. I am so grateful for that fateful connection, my lucky destiny.

      Happy 99th birthday, Dad. Thank you. I love you.


      2024 Reset Retreat

      by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Uncategorized

      carrying around some holiday "leftovers?"

      If you’re struggling with post-holiday fatigue, weight gain, belly fat, and bothersome sugar cravings, maybe it’s time to reset your metabolic engine!

      Join me, Tina Sprinkle, Certified Functional Nutrition Coach, for the 2024 Reset Retreat which kick-offs on Saturday, January 13, 2024.

      Show your body the respect it deserves, and be rewarded with greater focus, stability, and metabolic health.

      Because it’s not about willpower- it’s about biochemistry, education, and community!

      When our body is inflamed from too much sugar, alcohol, and stress, we experience belly fat, fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, and memory loss.

      Hunger, cravings, and emotional eating are all connected to a metabolic imbalance that can be reversed… so you can experience emotional stability and freedom from food triggers and addiction.

      Switching to an anti-inflammatory diet will help you reduce belly fat without feeling deprived or living on bacon grease.

      It can also improve your blood chemistry and energy levels by balancing the queen of all hormones, insulin.

      Learn how to eat to balance your blood sugar and reduce inflammation to release bloat, joint tenderness, fatigue, and more. 

      This program offers both Paleo based and plant-based options.

      SIGN ME UP!

      Research shows that stress, the body’s response to feeling challenged or threatened can wear on the body if left unchecked.

      Stress releases adrenalin, cortisol, and other hormones which are meant to help us in acute situations. 

      But when that stress becomes chronic, it can induce or worsen medical conditions, including obesity, depression, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer.

      In addition to learning how diet affects inflammation, you’ll learn simple practices to help reduce and manage your stress.

      As we age our bodies need different kinds of exercise to maximize the benefits.

      High-intensity workouts, resistance training, and cardio sessions are all important components of a healthy, strong, body.

      But there’s a type of training that we often overlook.

      Within your body lies a little-known yet hugely important key to greater strength, flexibility, and total health: your fascia. Fascia is the miraculous connective tissue that’s woven around your muscles, skin, organs, and bones, holding your entire body together.

      Learn movements to build foundational strength, develop a greater range of movement, and hydrate your entire body from the inside out.

      The Reset Retreat includes:

      • Anti-inflammatory Foods Guide
      • Simple, Accessible Sample Meal Plan
      • Delicious Paleo & Plant based Recipes
      • Breathing and journaling techniques to help you reduce and manage your daily stress
      • 90-minute Fascial Freedom Workshop with Tina, your Certified Functional Nutrition Coach, and Program Leader
      • Daily inspiration and resources via opt-in texts
      • Discounts on optional program support supplements via Fullscript.

      The Reset Retreat is just *$99

      *T School Alumni save 20% at checkout by using code ALUMNI

      I'M READY- SIGN ME UP!

      QUESTIONS?

      I’m here to answer them! Drop me a line via email today!

      tina@tinasprinkle.com 

      Thanks, everyone! 
      Let’s do this!

      OK, I'M READY!

      Why the world needs Janet Mort

      by Tina Sprinkle, posted in Growth Opportunities, Uncategorized

      My friend Janet is a badass.

      She’s also passionate, fiery, and completely committed to helping change the world, one child at a time.

      Retiring after a 35-year career as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools on Vancouver Island, Janet went back to school to earn her PhD in Early Literacy.  

      Janet and her husband Michael at their home in Victoria, B.C.

      Understanding the very real, very high cost of illiteracy, Janet was determined to address the unmet needs of struggling students learning to read.

      I met Janet last March while hosting a retreat in Mexico.  She wasn’t a participant, but she looked interesting so I went over to introduce myself to her and her husband, Michael.

      I’m glad I trusted my intuition because Janet and I were supposed to meet. 

      We didn’t understand why then, but we do now. The universe provides, even when your shrimp cocktail is getting soggy.  (If you haven’t read my prior blog about Janet and our synchronicity, please do it now).

      JANET is a problem solver.

      Play Video

      One of the things I love about Janet is her ability to get things done. 

      When her husbands physician retired and they were unable to find consistent care through her health plan, Janet rallied as Michael’s advocate.

      She ran an ad in her local paper, the Victoria Times Colonist, seeking a new doctor for Michael.

      The response was overwhelming; not only did Janet find a doctor (over twenty responded to her plea), she succeeded in bringing national attention to a problem many others were facing in her home province,  British Columbia, Canada.

      Nearly one million British Columbians were also without a family physician, according to BC Family Doctors.

      Janet and Michael were interviewed for television and national news programs. 

      (Press play on the graphic above for the whole story.)

      Her willingness to take their private battle public reflects the same stubborn tenacity Janet brings to her professional pursuits.

      After earning her PhD, Janet founded  Joyful Literacy, an evidence based program that helps children who are most vulnerable learn to read.

      JANET IS A REVOLUTIONARY.

      Janet returned to school because she wanted to know why over 35% of struggling children do not succeed in school.

      Within seven years she had completed her analysis of the most compelling literacy research, designed the Joyful Literacy Framework, and implemented it in over a hundred primary pilot classrooms where data was collected by external examiners for the first four years of Joyful Literacy implementation.

      The results exceeded expectations.

      • In Kindergarten, success rates rose from 40% to 80% over three years when the standard program changed to the Joyful Literacy Framework.
      • In Grade One, success rates rose from 54% to 89% over three years when the standard program changed to the Joyful Literacy Framework.
      • In Grade Two, success rates rose from 26% to 92% over three years when the standard program changed to the Joyful Literacy Framework.

      Eight other superintendents chose to participate in the pilot out of frustration that only 49.8% of their grade four students were achieving grade-level expectations.

      The Joyful Literacy Framework was implemented with students entering Kindergarten in 2013.

      Implementation was continued through to the year they entered grade four where, after five years of the Joyful Literacy Framework, the students’ success rate had risen to 85%.

      Source: Fountas and Pennel Data

      the high cost of illiteracy.

      This is why Janet is on a mission to transform early childhood literacy in Canada, the United States, and the world!

      • 67% of students are not proficient in reading by the end of 3rd grade.

      • Students who are not proficient by the end of 4th grade are 66% more likely to wind up on welfare or in prison.

      • Students who don’t read proficiently by the 3rd grade are 4 times likelier to drop out of school.
      • Students who are retained to repeat a grade will cost a District an average of $10,000 each.
      • The US illiteracy rate hasn’t changed in over 10 years.
      • 85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.

      Source: National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)

      And it all starts with the quality
      of our early childhood education.

      janet has a plan.

      Building on seven years of research and data collection, Janet created a literacy program she named Joyful Literacy.

      This school-based program combines a clever use of technology with an evidence-based literacy approach that enables teachers to assess their students, track progress, and boost literacy success.

      Using her proven Circle Chart methodology to assess, teach, and track all eight literacy foundation skills, this framework is broadly applicable. 

      Janet’s goal is for the Joyful Literacy program to be used internationally in Kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms across the world, a goal that will be met by offering in other languages.

      In addition to this robust curriculum, Janet has written several books that weave together the essential assessment, teaching, and tracking components of Joyful Literacy with practical and effective classroom strategies for optimal teacher- student learning activities.

      And because Janet understands that reading begins before school, her books also help parents who want to support and foster their child’s reading skills at home.

      Along with her associate, Chelsea  Mytko, Janet provides online help for parents via their Born to Read YouTube channel. 

      All videos include free and accessible lessons for parents to teach their child to read at home from the womb to kindergarten.

      This winning combination is further supported by the Joyful Literacy Teachers App, which Janet created to help teachers easily track and support students who need extra help and attention in their classrooms.

      Teachers! Click here to access a free trial!

      Joyful literacy in the u.s.

      When Janet told me about her plans to expand Joyful Literacy in the United States, I immediately asked, “How can I help?”

      Since returning from Mexico I have met with Janet and Chelsea to learn more about how the program and app work within the classroom for proven results. 

      They’ve also been busy meeting with other developers, marketers, and educators to help expand the Joyful Literacy program to the U.S. and beyond. And it’s working. They’re developing an expansive plan to introduce the system and app to educators across the country.

      According to the  National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), low levels of literacy cost the U.S. up to 2.2 trillion per year. In fact…

      • 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate
      • 54% of adults have literacy skills below a 6th-grade level and 
      • 20%  below a 5th-grade level.

      But the real cost for illiterate people is far greater. 

      Imagine being unable to get a job, provide for your children, decipher street signs or the label on your prescription bottle because you can’t read.  This is a huge disadvantage and one that we can correct with Joyful Literacy.

      You can help spread the word by sharing this post with your neighbors, teachers, and local educators.  There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain!

      I want to see Janet’s story on 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday morning.  Can you help me network?  Send me your resources and contacts!

      We can change the world- one reader at a time because we now know how.

      Dr. Janet Mort has been a featured keynote speaker at 28 summits in B.C., Alberta, and Washington state, as well as being chosen to represent British Columbia as a literary expert at the World Congress of Education in Melbourne, Australia.

      She was awarded Canada’s Queen’s Jubilee Medal 2005 for her service to children and leadership in educational change and was recognized by The Order of British Columbia in 2020.

      The Order represents the highest form of recognition the Province can extend to its citizens.

      But to me, Janet is just my inspirational friend, a woman on a mission to change the world for good.

      If you’d like more information on Joyful Literacy, please reply to me or reach out to Janet via email.

      Because everyone deserves the opportunity to learn to read and live a full life.