September was a month full of wonderful experiences and a jam-packed schedule. It started with a trip to Berlin, organised by one of my dear friends. She had put together the most magical four days in Berlin. I will treasure our time and the memories we created together for the rest of my life. My freelance job calendar was booked to the hilt, which I am grateful for. I absolutely loved being part of the Gothenburg Book Fair, where I was honoured to represent one of my clients. It was wonderful to speak with people from all walks of life and hear their thoughts and experiences. Being part of fairs and working at a booth are experiences I hope to have again. I learned a lot from the people I spoke to, and I absolutely love meeting people. 

Books Read: 6

The most important book was “The Body Keeps the Score” by  Bessel van der Kolk. It’s an essential book that I do think is required reading for the human race. It gives you a better understanding of how to take care of yourself as a human and offers a more profound understanding of our fellow humans. The book provides a perspective on pain and trauma that can be beneficial in any situation where you interact with others. 

On that note, I need to diversify my reading to include more philosophy and spirituality to broaden my mind. 

Courses:

I finished my AI fundamentals for non-data scientists course at Wharton Online/Penn University. I wanted to take this course as I’m fairly autodidactic in the AI area. I have a personal interest in AI that predates the ChatGPT hype, so it was important for me to take this course. Not just to prove my skills, but also to deepen them and go further. Right now, I notice AI experts popping up on the right and left, and I want my clients to be able to trust my skills and knowledge.  And there is always something new to learn about AI. I will be a student for life. 

To further my education and explore my creativity, I attended an expressive writing workshop at the city library. During the workshop, we wrote for about 3-5 minutes from prompts, then reflected on our writing. This was a way for me to use my writing skills as a therapeutic tool, while being absorbed in something purely a process, not a result.  

The next step is the AI in People Management course, which is the final course in the AI for Business specialisation.

Wellness

I recently had the idea to balance intensive work periods with dedicated recovery. My protocol is to book a spa appointment. I start with light-weight training, followed by red light therapy, an infrared sauna, an ordinary sauna, and finish with a massage. It’s an investment in my recovery after intense periods of work and/or studies, so I have time booked in my calendar dedicated to recharging. As a high performer, this is non-negotiable. 

My meditation practice is going steady, no changes there, apart from adjusting the time, depending on how my schedule/life looks. If it’s more intense and packed, I dial it down to 5 minutes to still retain my practice while reducing my stress from the amount of things I have to do that day. 

Evening walks are a solid component of my evening routine (which I am still working on perfecting and have a book to read on this during October). 

Hot yoga and inferno pilates are starting to help me with my mind-body connection. I’m very grateful for the pilates instructor who takes the time to talk to me and understand what I am going through, and offers me help along the way.

I decided to try pressure therapy combined with infrared light for longer sessions. Will report back on my experience.  

Supplements:

• Urolithin-A: I am at the end of my cycle, and the only thing that I can report is my experience when my partner and I got COVID. However, I felt a sore throat for a day, and influenza-like symptoms for a couple of days. Then it was like the influenza/COVID was cut short in just a few days. I believe this was due to the Urolithin-A, because I’ve never experienced such a rapid recovery before. 

• Glutathione: I added Glutathione to my protocol. So far, I can report that my metabolism is on fire. Won’t purchase this again, as I went down the rabbit hole of Gluathaion and will replace it with a superior-quality spirulina instead. As I understand it, glutathione tablets break down to cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid, so that he body can absorb what is in the tablet. Then the body uses the cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid to create glutathione. From my perspective and as I understand it now, a superior spirulina brand is a better option for me, as I want to reduce the number of supplements that I consume each day. Spirulina will do the trick in providing the body with the building blocks for the vital Glutathione. 

Podcast 

I absolutely loved this podcast with Marie Forleo and her partner, Josh Pais where they talk about his new book. As someone interested in self-development and healing, I found the concepts refreshing and the energy between them entertaining.