We sat down with Yasmine Cheyenne, Thistle Ambassador, and all-around incredible and inspiring human. Yasmine is an author, self-healing expert, speaker, and mental wellness advocate.
Tell us about your wellness journey. What inspired you to start a career in meditation and self-healing, and how are you practicing it today?
My wellness journey started when I was on Active Duty in the US Air Force. I served as a Victim Advocate for part of that time, and I became aware of my ability to hold space for people who'd experienced hard times in their lives. It also prompted me to start my own healing journey. I've always been a writer, and on my healing journey I started jotting down my own takeaways and things that were supporting my healing. I teach the tools that have changed my life. I used to believe meditation wasn't for me. I used to believe that some things were too hard to forgive or that I wasn't worthy of the joy I wanted. And through witnessing the transformation in myself and knowing the gift that I have to create a safe space for people to explore and be themselves, I share the ways that people can transform their lives as well. Through my books, my meditations on my app (The Sugar Jar Community app), and through my social posts, people can begin or continue their journey to healing.
What are some of your non-negotiable routines when it comes to supporting your overall well-being? What are some simple and sustainable practices you follow that bring you back to a place of balance and peace?
My #1 non-negotiable is being flexible in my well-being journey. Sometimes, we can be so strict with how we care for ourselves that it starts to feel burdensome and like there's no room to just live life. Following the 80/20 rule, which means mostly eating foods and supporting my physical health with all of the tools and wisdom that I know nurtures my body but then the other 20% (or more like 25%) of the time, eating exactly what I want or watching a show with family and maybe missing the meditation that evening is an essential part of wellness for me. The balance is never boxing myself in. The moment my routine is no longer fun for me, and this is true for most people, it's harder to stay committed.
Tell us more about meditation, and what benefits can we expect from incorporating it into our lives?
Meditation helps us connect to our breath which creates a sense of calm and peace. It can also allow us to connect to feelings or situations that we don't often have the mental space to explore in our day to day lives. When we take time to breathe and be present, we carry that sense of calm within us throughout our day.
Can you tell us about your book and how it came to be?
The Sugar Jar became a way that I teach self-healing because I had a real life moment in my kitchen where I started to feel like a jar of sugar where people were just coming in and out of my life, taking as much as they wanted and using as much as they wanted — it was a mess. There was sugar everywhere. I felt so depleted. I think so many of us feel like that in our lives. We’re being pulled in so many different directions. It became a way for me to teach people how to check in with themselves. Do you have your boundaries in place? Is there a lid on your jar? Are you giving what you want to be giving or are you just saying ‘yes’ because you feel like you have to?
This book is a tool to help people explore their boundaries and create the lives and relationships they truly want.
Can you share with us how you view the relationship between self-healing and nourishing foods?
Our physical health impacts our mental health, and we know that certain foods can create feelings of sluggishness and even exacerbate our anxiety. It's empowering to have knowledge of what supports our bodies and when we make food choices that help us feel supported, it supports our mental well-being as well.
What does good nutrition mean to you, and what are some nutrition tips that can be easily incorporated into routines?
Good nutrition means eating foods that nourish your body. I want to feel supported after I eat to do all of the tasks that I have that day. Everyone is different, so it's important to pay attention to what makes you feel good, what makes you feel sluggish, what makes you feel energized, or perhaps what makes you feel ready for a nap. There's so much information that comes from tuning in.
The best nutrition tip IMO is making sure to drink enough water. We hear this so often that I think many of us ignore it, but I see a difference in my mood, skin, and overall well-being when I'm well-hydrated.
How does Thistle support your lifestyle?
Thistle helps create so much ease in my life! Being able to customize the meals that I receive based on what I'd like to try and adding the protein support that I need is wonderful. I have a lot going on with kids and my business, so to have the space and freedom to not meal-prep constantly, while also eating delicious meals, is relieving.
What is your favorite Thistle meal?
I love so many meals, but my favorite meal so far has been the Umami Mushroom & Lemon Miso Bowl with Ground Turkey. Truly tastes like takeout!
We’re accepting applications to grow the Thistle Collective! We invite you to apply to become an Ambassador and share your health and wellness journey through the power of transformative nutrition. Apply now.
We sat down with Yasmine Cheyenne, Thistle Ambassador, and all-around incredible and inspiring human. Yasmine is an author, self-healing expert, speaker, and mental wellness advocate.
Tell us about your wellness journey. What inspired you to start a career in meditation and self-healing, and how are you practicing it today?
My wellness journey started when I was on Active Duty in the US Air Force. I served as a Victim Advocate for part of that time, and I became aware of my ability to hold space for people who'd experienced hard times in their lives. It also prompted me to start my own healing journey. I've always been a writer, and on my healing journey I started jotting down my own takeaways and things that were supporting my healing. I teach the tools that have changed my life. I used to believe meditation wasn't for me. I used to believe that some things were too hard to forgive or that I wasn't worthy of the joy I wanted. And through witnessing the transformation in myself and knowing the gift that I have to create a safe space for people to explore and be themselves, I share the ways that people can transform their lives as well. Through my books, my meditations on my app (The Sugar Jar Community app), and through my social posts, people can begin or continue their journey to healing.
What are some of your non-negotiable routines when it comes to supporting your overall well-being? What are some simple and sustainable practices you follow that bring you back to a place of balance and peace?
My #1 non-negotiable is being flexible in my well-being journey. Sometimes, we can be so strict with how we care for ourselves that it starts to feel burdensome and like there's no room to just live life. Following the 80/20 rule, which means mostly eating foods and supporting my physical health with all of the tools and wisdom that I know nurtures my body but then the other 20% (or more like 25%) of the time, eating exactly what I want or watching a show with family and maybe missing the meditation that evening is an essential part of wellness for me. The balance is never boxing myself in. The moment my routine is no longer fun for me, and this is true for most people, it's harder to stay committed.
Tell us more about meditation, and what benefits can we expect from incorporating it into our lives?
Meditation helps us connect to our breath which creates a sense of calm and peace. It can also allow us to connect to feelings or situations that we don't often have the mental space to explore in our day to day lives. When we take time to breathe and be present, we carry that sense of calm within us throughout our day.
Can you tell us about your book and how it came to be?
The Sugar Jar became a way that I teach self-healing because I had a real life moment in my kitchen where I started to feel like a jar of sugar where people were just coming in and out of my life, taking as much as they wanted and using as much as they wanted — it was a mess. There was sugar everywhere. I felt so depleted. I think so many of us feel like that in our lives. We’re being pulled in so many different directions. It became a way for me to teach people how to check in with themselves. Do you have your boundaries in place? Is there a lid on your jar? Are you giving what you want to be giving or are you just saying ‘yes’ because you feel like you have to?
This book is a tool to help people explore their boundaries and create the lives and relationships they truly want.
Can you share with us how you view the relationship between self-healing and nourishing foods?
Our physical health impacts our mental health, and we know that certain foods can create feelings of sluggishness and even exacerbate our anxiety. It's empowering to have knowledge of what supports our bodies and when we make food choices that help us feel supported, it supports our mental well-being as well.
What does good nutrition mean to you, and what are some nutrition tips that can be easily incorporated into routines?
Good nutrition means eating foods that nourish your body. I want to feel supported after I eat to do all of the tasks that I have that day. Everyone is different, so it's important to pay attention to what makes you feel good, what makes you feel sluggish, what makes you feel energized, or perhaps what makes you feel ready for a nap. There's so much information that comes from tuning in.
The best nutrition tip IMO is making sure to drink enough water. We hear this so often that I think many of us ignore it, but I see a difference in my mood, skin, and overall well-being when I'm well-hydrated.
How does Thistle support your lifestyle?
Thistle helps create so much ease in my life! Being able to customize the meals that I receive based on what I'd like to try and adding the protein support that I need is wonderful. I have a lot going on with kids and my business, so to have the space and freedom to not meal-prep constantly, while also eating delicious meals, is relieving.
What is your favorite Thistle meal?
I love so many meals, but my favorite meal so far has been the Umami Mushroom & Lemon Miso Bowl with Ground Turkey. Truly tastes like takeout!
We’re accepting applications to grow the Thistle Collective! We invite you to apply to become an Ambassador and share your health and wellness journey through the power of transformative nutrition. Apply now.
