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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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September 24, 2026

What Fits in Ten Minutes?

Time to switch out the summer wardrobe for fall gear. Buckle up, you’re going to love this one: Mr. Non-Compliant is great about switching out t

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Health
September 16, 2026

What Lights You Up?

Summer officially ends September 22. Here in Indiana, that means changing leaves, cooler mornings, and a shift in our daily routines. Summer’s m

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Health, Personal Development
September 9, 2026

The Beauty in the Cracks

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just know you were supposed to hear something? I had one recently. I was having a conversation with a

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Fun, Health, Hope, Personal Development
September 3, 2026

Too Hot to Cook Eat This

Well, friends…Mother Nature has apparently decided we need to be reminded that summer is still here. It is HOT. Really hot. The kind of hot where wa

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Food, Fun, Health
September 3, 2026

Savory Chicken Salad

This one is a staple in my kitchen. Rotisserie chicken, a creamy dressing, and just enough crunch from the celery and onion make it endlessly versatil

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Recipes, Salads
August 27, 2026

Apparently, There’s a Day for That

Have you ever noticed how there seems to be a “National Day” for just about everything? National Donut Day. National Gardening Day. National Lefto

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Food, Fun
August 20, 2026

The Scoop on Coffee

For my coffee lovers, here are some interesting tidbits. Light roast coffee tends to be slightly higher in caffeine content than dark roast when measu

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Health
August 13, 2026

A Kitchen Lesson from Julia Child

In honor of Julia Child’s birthday, I want to share one of her most repeated kitchen philosophies, because it is one I highly endorse. Do not ap

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Food, Fun
August 5, 2026

Part One: Fun Facts About Julia Child

August 15 marks the birthday of one of my favorite kitchen icons, Julia Child. If you have never seen an old episode of The French Chef, do yourself a

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Food, Fun
July 30, 2026

My Kitchen Counter Has a Problem

If your garden is anything like mine, the tomatoes are coming in fast right now. And if you’re growing zucchini too, you know it has a way of sh

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Food, Health, In the Garden

What Fits in Ten Minutes?

September 24, 2026
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Health

Time to switch out the summer wardrobe for fall gear. Buckle up, you’re going to love this one: Mr. Non-Compliant is great about switching out the closet from season to season AND letting go of items he no longer wears.

As for me, it feels like a BIG chore. I dread it.

Similarly, I often hear, “I want to feel healthier, but I don’t have time.” Right behind it comes, “My house is overflowing, and I don’t know where to start.”

Here’s the good news. Both can start with ten minutes. 

I’m with you on this.

Ten minutes won’t clean out the garage (or my closet) or overhaul your diet. But it will get you moving, and momentum is a wonderful thing.

Pick one habit and one space. Pair them up. Here are a few combinations to get you started and help you think of your own ideas.

Hydrate and clear a counter. Fill a big glass of water and sip while you clear one kitchen counter. When the glass is empty, the counter is too.

Walk and gather. Grab a bag and walk through every room. Pick up anything you don’t use or don’t love. That’s movement plus a donation bag.

Stretch and sort a drawer. Do a few gentle stretches, then tackle one drawer. Just one. The junk drawer counts.

Prep and purge the fridge. Chop veggies for tomorrow then toss expired condiments. Healthy snacks go in. Mystery jars go out.

Breathe and edit the closet. Take five full, slow breaths, then pull three items you haven’t worn in a year. Oh, and I could certainly unload three books…I have way too many. For some women, it’s shoes. Me? It’s books.

Wind down and reset the nightstand. Before bed, clear everything but a book and a glass of water. A calm space sets you up for a calmer night’s sleep. 

Why does this work? Small wins build confidence. Less clutter often means less stress, and less stress makes healthy choices easier.

Set a timer for ten minutes. When it rings, stop. Quitting while you still feel good makes it easier to come back tomorrow.

So, here’s your challenge: Think of one thing you’ve been putting off. Something for your health, your home, or simply your own well-being. Now, take ten minutes.

Sometimes the easiest way to make a change is to make the change easier.

Warmly,
Health Coach Carol

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~Arthur Ashe

What Lights You Up?

September 16, 2026
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Health, Personal Development

Summer officially ends September 22. Here in Indiana, that means changing leaves, cooler mornings, and a shift in our daily routines.

Summer’s more relaxed days are giving way to fall responsibilities. But a change in season can also be an invitation to try something new.

As I listen to The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, one idea has really stuck with me: Each new piece of creative work is not to be compared with what came before. Instead, pay attention to what’s inspiring you today and follow it.

I love that! And it got me thinking about how we approach our own lives.

What if we got curious about what we might enjoy exploring this fall? 

Maybe it’s a new recipe using the apples or squash showing up at the market. Perhaps you’d like to try fall gardening, take an art class, or revisit a food you haven’t enjoyed in ages.

Maybe it’s time to change up your exercise routine, try a new activity, or finally plan that trip to a place you’ve been dreaming about.

It doesn’t have to be a big, bold leap. Sometimes a small change is just what we need to bring a little fresh energy into our days.

And curiosity can be a healthy habit, too. Instead of asking, “What should I be doing?” try asking:

“What sounds good for me to explore right now?”

You might discover a new way to move that you actually look forward to. A recipe that becomes a family favorite. A creative outlet you didn’t know you needed. Or simply the pleasure of doing something different.

Since I let my summer gardening go by the wayside, I’ve found some new energy for tidying up the plants that have finished blooming, adding a little fall color with mums, and even tackling a few weeds. I also spend plenty of time sweeping up the acorns the squirrels keep pelting onto the ground. I may need to wear a hard hat just to enjoy my time outdoors. 😊 

As we move into fall, don’t be afraid to accept a new challenge, big or small. Pay attention to what lights you up. Give yourself permission to experiment, learn, and enjoy the process without needing to know exactly where it will lead.

What could you do to make this fall feel fresh and new?

Maybe the answer is already nudging you.

Go ahead. Get curious.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” ~ Albert Einstein

The Beauty in the Cracks

September 9, 2026
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Fun, Health, Hope, Personal Development

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just know you were supposed to hear something?

I had one recently.

I was having a conversation with a group about how a broken dish can sometimes be repaired with gold. We thought the practice might be from China, so I made a mental note to look it up.

I began driving home, listening to The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. And there it was: Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold.

The cracks aren’t hidden. They’re highlighted. 

The broken piece isn’t thrown away because it isn’t perfect anymore. The repair becomes part of its story.

And here’s the part that really made me smile. Earlier in the book (which I heard on the way to my meeting), Rubin talks about paying attention to clues, coincidences and unexpected connections. So, there I was, having just had a conversation about repairing broken pottery, wondering about the tradition, and then hearing the answer in the book I was listening to on my drive home.

If that’s not a little godwink, I don’t know what is. 😊

I loved that idea immediately. And then I started thinking about how often we do the opposite with ourselves.

We miss a few workouts and decide we’ve “fallen off the wagon.” We eat more dessert than we planned. We have a week when sleep is lousy and meals are whatever we can grab. We get busy and stop doing the things that make us feel good.

And somehow, one little crack turns into, Well, I blew it.

I was reminded of this over the weekend at Oktoberfest. Let’s just say there weren’t exactly an abundance of healthy choices calling my name. And Mr. Non-Compliant? He made a beeline for the elephant ears. Of course I got it on video. 😂

But here’s the thing: Eating an elephant ear doesn’t erase all the other healthy choices we’ve made. It doesn’t mean we failed. It means we went to Oktoberfest and ate an elephant ear.

We can enjoy it, learn from it if there’s something to learn, and then go back to our usual habits.

Maybe that’s what Kintsugi can teach us about health and life.

You don’t have to hide the cracks to be whole.

The missed workout, the overindulgence, the rough week, the plan that didn’t work out quite as expected…they’re all part of our story.

What matters is what we do next.

We don’t need to be perfect. We just need to keep putting the pieces back together, a little wiser and a little more accepting of ourselves along the way.

And sometimes, those cracks might become some of the most meaningful parts of the story.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen

Too Hot to Cook Eat This

September 3, 2026
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Food, Fun, Health

Well, friends…Mother Nature has apparently decided we need to be reminded that summer is still here.

It is HOT. Really hot. The kind of hot where walking outside feels like opening the oven door, and suddenly a big dinner sounds about as appealing as putting on a sweater.

When it’s this hot, your appetite may take a little vacation. That’s okay. You don’t need to force down a heavy meal just because the clock says it’s dinnertime.

But your body still needs the good stuff along with plenty of fluids, even when you’d happily make watermelon your entire food group. (Which, by the way, is sometimes also okay.)

Let’s make summer eating easier.

Think cool, simple and satisfying rather than complicated recipes and lots of cooking. 

Grilled chicken with a cool corn and avocado salad or sliced over a bed of greens with a simple vinaigrette. Make a tuna or salmon salad and pile it onto greens or into a big, juicy tomato. Scramble a couple of eggs and add avocado and tomatoes. Have Greek yogurt with berries and nuts for a snack or breakfast. Try grilled shrimp with avocado and mango over a bed of greens. Toss chickpeas with cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, lemon and olive oil for a quick salad. (I had this salad for lunch this week with some almond crackers. It was perfect.)

And don’t overlook the snack-plate dinner.

A little turkey or chicken, some cheese, hummus, crunchy vegetables, fruit, dark chocolate, nuts and a few crackers can absolutely count as dinner. No recipe. No oven. No sweat. Literally.

Leftovers are your friend, too. That leftover grilled chicken (or store-bought rotisserie chicken) from Tuesday can become Wednesday’s chicken salad without requiring you to turn on a single appliance. Here’s the link to my favorite chicken salad recipe. Savory Chicken Salad

And then there’s Labor Day…

If your weekend includes a good old-fashioned backyard cookout, please don’t feel like you must bring your own sad little container of “healthy food.”

It’s Labor Day!

Enjoy the burger. Have the corn on the cob. Put some of that colorful pasta salad on your plate. Eat the watermelon. Add a big scoop of grilled vegetables if they’re available.

And if someone makes an absolutely amazing potato salad, dessert or family recipe that you only get once in a while?

Have some.

Seriously.

Healthy eating isn’t about avoiding everything fun. There’s room for food that’s simply delicious and part of celebrating. 

So, this weekend, enjoy the good food, stay hydrated, and don’t overthink it. No need to earn the potato salad or work it off afterward. Just enjoy it and get back to your regular rhythm when the holiday is over. That’s real-life healthy living.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life.”~ Julia Child