From Hope to Happiness: Lessons on Social Contribution from the World Happiness Summit

Let me ask you the question that simmered in my mind during my time in Miami two weeks ago:

How do you hold hope for a better future while being fully satisfied with your life right now?

That tension—between gratitude for the present and desire for something greater—was the deep question that surfaced for me throughout the World Happiness Summit. It’s the thread that weaves together the reflections I’m sharing in this blog, as I unpack what it really means to hold space for both: the fullness of now, and the pull toward what could be.

The World Happiness Summit: I’d been wanting to attend this summit for years. It’s the global stage where the ideals of happiness, purpose, and well-being are explored with serious minds and open hearts. And this year, I attended! The theme? Hope and Community. Perfect timing, because this month’s Life Fulfillment theme is Social Contribution. Below I share some o...

The Fulfillment Focus - Mental & Emotional Health - Expert Interview with Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst

Get ready for a truly eye-opening discussion! I'm thrilled to share a powerful conversation I had with Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst, where she delves into the critical issue of how societal pressures can restrict men's emotional range from a very young age, leading to lifelong communication challenges and hidden pain.

In this video, Dr. Vanderhorst will:

• Reveal the societal forces that contribute to the shrinking of men's emotional expression.
• Discuss her upcoming book, "How Not to f$%! Up Being a Father," sharing compelling stories of men who are reclaiming their emotional power.
• Present a live coaching session that will inspire you to reconsider your own emotional journey.

This video is essential viewing for:

• Men seeking to connect more deeply with their emotions.
• Anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the men in their lives.

 And that's not all! We also discuss Dr...

The Fulfillment Focus - Mental & Emotional Health - Expert Interview with Elle Ingalls

Every month we're going to be concentrating on one of the categories in the Life Inventory Assessment - a holistic view of living your full life. February's focus is Mental & Emotional Health.

Ever feel like stress is hijacking your life and crushing your performance? Then you NEED to see this!

Maurice sat down with Elle Ingalls, Performance Coach and creator of the Pressure-Free Method, and she shared her secrets to staying calm under pressure. But the BEST part? She actually coaches a client LIVE, demonstrating her method in real-time! It's incredible to watch.

 You can learn more about Elle Ingalls by visiting her website: https://elleingalls.com/

Take your own Life Inventory Assessment here: https://www.illuminationexperiences.c... 

 Key takeaways from this interview:

• Elle's approach focuses on interrupting the stress response within a 10-second window to prevent hormone floo...

Mental & Emotional Health: The Power of Processing Emotions

6-min-to-read

 Let’s start with a question:

How do you currently process emotions?

Do you have a effective methods, or do you more often fall into unconscious protective strategies like avoidance, distraction, and numbing?

Processing emotions—both everyday stressors and deeper past imprints—is essential for mental well-being. If emotions aren't processed, they don’t just disappear; they store in the body, influencing decisions, energy, and even physical health. Let’s break this down into two key areas:

1. Processing Everyday Stress

We all experience stressors like work deadlines, traffic, your partner chewing too loud, your housemates leaving dishes left in the sink, <insert your daily tasks here: _______________>.

These daily frustrations might seem minor, but when left unchecked, they add up.

Think of it like carrying a backpack. Each of your daily stressors (when left unchecked) represents a rock you put into ...

The Fulfillment Focus - Physical Health - Expert Interview with Lifestyle Expert Dai Manuel 

Every month we're going to be concentrating on one of the categories in the Life Inventory Assessment - a holistic view of living your full life. January's focus is Physical Health.

Dai and Maurice discuss physical health and fitness, with Dai Manuel providing expert insights.

You can learn more about Dai Manuel by visiting his website: https://www.daimanuel.com/ 

Checkout Dai's podcast here: https://spoti.fi/4hF3B1P 

Take your own Life Inventory Assessment here: https://www.illuminationexperiences.c... 

We are blessed to have this interview with Dai Manuel - an award winning wellness and fitness expert. He and Maurice discuss rest and recovery, nutrition and hydration, exercise and physical recovery.

 Key takeaways from this interview:

~ Rest and recovery are critical for physical adaptation and overall health; consistency in sleep patterns is key.

~ Nutrition should focus on...

Kickstart Your Year of Fulfillment: Prioritizing Physical Health

Welcome to the first installment of the Fulfillment Project blog series! Over the next 12 months, we'll dive deep into a different life category each month, starting with Physical Health this January.

This series is designed to help you (and your clients, if you're a coach or helper) boost life fulfillment by tackling key areas one by one.

Here's what you can expect in each post:

• Actionable insights and resources: No fluff here, just practical advice you can implement right away.
• Tried-and-true tools: I'll share my personal recommendations for products and resources that have actually worked for me.
• Behind-the-scenes with Tracy and me: Get a glimpse into our lives and how we apply these principles.
• Self-reflection prompts: Questions to help you dig deeper and personalize your fulfillment journey.
• Expert interview: Gain valuable insights from a leading voice in the field.

Why Physical Health First?

It's simpl...

Welcome to the FUTURE...

I offer you a deep-dive perspective on vision and goal theory, and reveal what I see as the secret to being able to set and connect with the vivid images of your ideal future; while, at the SAME time, not be ATTACHED to the outcome. 

It seems like an oxymoron—right?  

The Secret To Creating Powerful Life Visions

How do we allow ourselves to see and believe in a future, while NOT being attached to it? 

Much theory in goal achievement supports the essential function of FOCUS.  To manifest our future, we want to bend time, blast ourselves into that future, to see, feel, hear, taste, and touch its reality. The more clearly we can enhance and embody that picture, the more likely it is to manifest.

BUT, how do we create this crystal clear picture, while NOT being attached to how it turns out?

Doesn't it stand to reason that we protect ourselves from disappointment and failure by merely ALLOWING our life to unfold? By staying detached, aren't we safer? Aren't w...

Imagine that you are in a coaching session with a new client, and you ask them, “Tell me about your life?  

98% of clients don’t have the capacity to answer this question.

The negative, disserving, unnecessary consequence when a coach lacks the CONTEXT of understanding the client’s life is MORE TIME spent and MORE PAIN experienced. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. That’s why the best coaches use the best tools to support and accelerate the coaching process.

12:38 Start: “The difference… 
13:53 End: “Safe”

S4 E12 - Maurice Thibodeau 
Watch the full interview here: https://watch.e360tv.com/player/29490/663140
Visit www.illuminationexperiences.com for more resources on coaching and living on purpose. 
www.illuminationexperiences.com/blog/Clients-Lie-or-Withhold

I'm committed to sending you a few updates a month with helpful resources in answering the time old question: What does it mean to live our best life?    

Originally Published, Wednesday, Nov. 13th, 2019 - through email
Sometimes living with your heart wide open is bloody painful.  

Sometimes, the reality of having my heart wide open feels like it is literally throbbing on an open white table, blood sputtering about, exposed and vulnerable, available for anyone to take a squeeze, or walk past by, or worse yet, stab through with a dull scalpel. 

I've had an interesting few weeks, full of wisdom and connections. 

I find myself seeing more of the world than ever before, and sometimes seeing more makes it harder.  

I see the opportunities for connection, for deepening, for shared experience, for co-creation...and I also see closed doors, fear, rejections, and incompleteness.  

I also feel the world more than I ever have. 

As I stand awake feeling into this world, with a rapidly expanding literac...

Hard Time

A caring group of people is going through a hard time right now. I wrote this thinking about them.

Hard Time