#NeissaBrownSpringmann

May 31, 2020
2 min

Are you a Disappointment Magnifier or a Blessing Magnifier?

Point to Ponder: Which box do your actions and words best fit in: the blessing magnifier box or disappointment magnifier box? I came across this quote (in the picture above) by the late John Wooden and thought it was simple, yet profound and so true. John Wooden coached the UCLA Men's Basketball team from 1948 - 1975, winning 10 national championships. One of the characteristics that made him so successful was his big-picture fatherly wisdom he shared with his players. They

Mar 7, 2020
3 min

A Change You Don't Ever Want to Miss (or take for granted)

Point to Ponder: How often do you pause and remember your various and different seasons of life, their significant connection with one another and the impact they've had on your life and how they've shaped you into the person you are today? This week, while taking a walk through our neighborhood I was struck by the contrast of what still looks to be winter (the brown/seemingly dead grass in the picture) mixed in with the sweet signs of spring (the tulips on the verge of full

Feb 2, 2020
3 min

The Goal: To Fearlessly Pursue Life

Point to Ponder: Do you wake up every morning excited to pursue life? I’m only speaking for myself of course, but last Sunday when I learned about the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and those with him in the helicopter, my heart broke. While we are a basketball family and I was sad the basketball world lost one of the best, more than anything I hurt deeply for his family- his wife and now three daughters. Whether or not you were a NBA fan during the Kobe era, there is o

Jan 25, 2020
4 min

Staying Connected to What's Real

Point to Ponder: Is your (and your family's) reality more real or faux? Can you believe that picture is 100% real with not one single edit?!? It was taken during sunrise meditation at our ReNew Year Retreat in San Diego and as you can see, it's why we choose this location every year to retreat and renew. The cleansing ocean air and breeze, spectacular sunsets and sunrises, and the soothing and rhythmic rolling waves...it's perfect and everything we need. This completely natu

Dec 15, 2019
4 min

Why We Need 7-9 Hours of Sleep Each Night

Point to Ponder: Are you getting enough high-quality sleep each night? The purpose of today’s journal is to encourage you to make high-quality sleep a priority so you can feel your best throughout your holidays and beyond. I know we all agree that sleep is important, but it’s actually more than important, it’s critical. This journal will only scratch the surface of why sleep is so important, but for starters, sleep effects everything from our immune system, our mood, our ab

Dec 8, 2019
4 min

What Are You Allowing?

Point to Ponder: What is one “thing” you are allowing in your life that is causing stress and negatively impacting your joy. Last week during one of our iGnite Tulsa classes we discussed our Health and FITmas Challenge. I explained all of the ways to accumulate points and earn iGnite credit (with taking 9 iGnite classes being at the top of the list). As we discussed self-care, the importance of it, and all of the various forms, we also talked about one necessary self-care pr

Dec 1, 2019
4 min

12 Reasons to Participate in Our Holiday Health & FITmas Challenge

Point to Ponder: Do you let the holidays control you, or do you control the holidays? Alright, alright, alright…the holidays are here and before your computer combusts from online shopping and your shoulders get stuck to your earlobes, take a moment to breatheeeeeeeeeee…..in through your nose and out through your mouth. I’m kind of exaggerating (but not really), however holiday anxiousness, stress and chaos is prevalent, and preventable! We have a choice, and it’s starts wit

Nov 25, 2019
5 min

Gratitude Changes Everything

Point to Ponder: What area(s) or relationships in your life can use some gratitude? Just one week ago, myself and 15 San Diego friends (some part of our iGnite San Diego community) completed the Susan G Komen 3-Day Walk. We began walking at 6:30a.m. Friday morning and our 60-mile journey was complete by 3:00p.m. Sunday. While I know breast cancer is prevalent and effects so many people, aside from my stepmom being diagnosed when I was a Freshman in college (and thankfully is

Nov 17, 2019
3 min

Gratitude in Motion

Point to Ponder: Who and what are you grateful for? For the past seven years, the week before Thanksgiving iGnite has used the last five to seven minutes in each of our classes to focus on gratitude and put thankfulness into motion by means of writing a grateful gram. A grateful gram is a hand-written gratitude note to someone you are grateful for. Then, after writing and addressing it, the grateful gram is handed back to our iGnite leader. iGnite takes care of postage and

Nov 10, 2019
3 min

The Best Among Us: A Veteran's Day Tribute

Do you ever wonder what a veteran looks like? If you iGnite in Austin it's likely you iGnite next to one. It's also likely we pass veterans everyday, more than once, and don't even know it. Veterans look like you and me, have daughters, sons, grandchildren, regular jobs and are extremely humble. They keep to themselves, don't crave attention and when they get thanked for their service they reply with a simple "Thank you", or "It was my pleasure". These people are the heroes a

Nov 3, 2019
2 min

Finishing Your Year on the 20th Floor

Point to Ponder: In relation to your health and wellness, what are 3 things that are working for you and 3 things that are not working for you? A few weeks ago my professional coach and iGnite member, Martha Lynn Mangum, asked me these two very important and thought-provoking questions: What are 3 things that are working for you? What are 3 things that are not working for you? Martha asked me these questions so I could evaluate 2019 and determine what changes I needed to make

Oct 13, 2019
5 min

Hills and Valleys

This picture was taken during our 9th Annual Adventure Escape in Whitefish, Montana.

Oct 7, 2019
5 min

The Overwhelming Connection Between Depression, Anxiety and Time in Nature

Point to Ponder: Are you spending enough time outside? One of the things I look forward to this time of year are the migrating Monarch butterflies. In case you didn’t know, the Monarch butterfly is iGnite’s mascot and in mid to late September and early October she makes her annual migration journey to Mexico. Like all life, I find her journey miraculous and inspiring. Weighing all of .5 grams, she flies at an average speed of 6 miles per hour and covers between 25 to 100 mil

Sep 29, 2019
4 min

Outdoor Fitness: The Heart of What We Do

Find out why spending time outdoor and in nature is vital to our health, well being and existence.

Sep 15, 2019
4 min

Run Toward Hard

Point to Ponder: What area of/in your life do you run from instead of running toward? Since the summer I've had my head buried in two books, one of which is Can’t Hurt Me by former Navy Seal, David Goggins. I’ve got two words—HOLY COW! This book is intense (and so are his word choices) and it smacked me in the face. I won’t give you all of the details because you’re going to want to read it, but David, now 44, likely overcame more obstacles than I’ve ever heard of. By the tim

Sep 12, 2019
1 min

Delicious High Protein Chocolate Smoothie

Mmmm! This very high protein chocolate smoothie is amazing! It's serves as a great meal replacement or post workout smoothie, it feed your muscles and fills you up! And, because of the MCT oil and Collagen, the smoothie is also great for your bones, joints, muscles, brain, memory, energy, endurance, weight management and the list goes on and on and on! Check out the simple recipe with ingredients below and let us know what'cha think! Ingredients: 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Mi

Sep 8, 2019
3 min

Are Others' Opinions Impacting How You Max Out?

Point to Ponder: Are the choices you make, and how you choose to max out and live life based on the opinions and experiences of others? I can only speak for myself, but last week I loved focusing on maxing out. I feel like it helped me and I got better. I’d like to think I maxed out before last week and on many levels I have and I do, but the truth is I get lazy, procrastinate, and get distracted, and therefore my max out efforts aren't consistently what they can and should

Sep 1, 2019
3 min

Why We Need to Max Out

Points to Ponder: What area in your life can benefit from max out efforts, and are you maxing out in an area(s) that doesn't have ROI (doesn't matter or and isn't aligned with what matter most)? This July, while leading our Adventure Escapes in Whitefish, Montana I had this thought: Am I maxing out in life, and where in my life do I need to put forth max out effort? The genesis of this question came from physically and emotionally maxing out every day on the Escape. We all ma

Aug 27, 2019
1 min

Easy Egg Salad

Eggs are AWESOME! Which is why we love anything with eggs, including this delicious egg salad recipe! And, it's crazy simple, which makes us like it even more! The best part about it...well, there are lots of "best parts", such as: It provides a great snack or meal There's Zero Soy Zero Sugar (unless you make a sandwich of course) Zero Gluten (again, unless you make a sandwich or dip with chips) No Dairy Full of amazing and filling fat and protein! Check out the simple recip

Aug 25, 2019
6 min

Seal Summer With a Kiss

Point to Ponder: Have you taken a moment to reflect on all of summer's sweet memories? As I contemplated writing about an important and relevant topic for this week, the one that stood out was: sealing all of Summer's sweetness with a kiss by giving her the gratitude, high-five and respect she deserves--before, of course, slamming the door in her face and opening the door of fall. For most of us, I feel like there are two common end of summer sentiments: If living in Texas, O