CANI. Continuing and never-ending improvement. It’s a way of living. Striving to learn from mistakes, learn from others, and become the best versions of ourselves we can be: happy, healthy, and fit.
Life can be broken down into areas we can work to improve, like health, fitness, mindset, finances. Below are some of my best reminders for myself that I would share with someone younger than me.
Applying CANI in Real Life
Emotional health: recognizing and accepting a range of emotions, both positive and negative, as natural parts of life and learning how to positively cope with them
Overall health: making mindful, healthy choices consistently
Fitness: stretching morning and night, strength training three times a week, cardio 2hrs per week
Nutrition: whole-food plant-based eating, cooking at home more vs buying pre-made dinners or takeout
Mindset: positive thinking, smiling more, and reframing negative situations
Lifestyle: keeping things simple, desiring less, scheduling in adventures
Finances: setting aside at least 10% of income and planning for retirement
Relationships: communicating your wants and needs in a productive way
Living: slowing down, no rushing, being where your feet are in the here and now
Mental health: working on breathwork, walking in nature, sharing struggles with loved ones
Personal growth: reading books, journaling, answering self-reflection prompts
Final Thoughts
Having freedom and being happy lies in the daily choices we make. Focus on what you can control: your actions. Adjusting along the way with a good, positive attitude.
~ Leave your thoughts below ~
Keep on stepping! x Coor
PS – If you wanna dig deeper check out Best of Blog – Out of 300+ posts, these 15 matter most. Some changed how readers think about health. Some represent my core philosophy. Some are the frameworks I return to again and again in my own life. If you’re new here or short on time, start with these – they’re the foundation of everything else I teach.
In spirituality, being intentional means living with conscious awareness and directing your energy, thoughts, and actions toward a specific sacred purpose rather than moving through life on autopilot.
I just added a spiritualty row to my life map and intentional is what I choose for the ‘who I have to be column’ – really loving this!
current Life Map as of 5/27/26
Core Pillars on Intentional Living
Conscious Presence: From mindless habits to actively aware
Chosen Meaning: Assigning sacred significance to everyday routines
Energy Alignment: Matching daily behaviors with inner soul values
How It Looks in Practice
Ritual vs. Routine: Transforming a coffee into a gratitude ritual
Mindful Communication: Choosing words that heal rather than reactively venting (wow this one is eye opening!)
Sacred Boundaries: Saying no to things that drain your spiritual peace
Focused Meditation: Sitting with a specific goal, like forgiveness
Monthly Goal: Soul Audit What do I actually believe right now? What am I avoiding? Where am I out of alignment with my values? What needs to be released? What am I most grateful for at a soul level?
Weekly Goal: Frequency Tones listen to frequency tones radio for a one hour minimum meditation as a form of sound therapy
A clean home is a happy home. A clutter free home = a clutter free mind. When we deep clean our homes, we’re quite literally deep cleaning our minds too. Our outer world reflects our inner world.
I love cleaning! There I said it! Something about the process, and completing a task that helps the hive as a whole. Cleaning is a great deposit for your home life, positively affecting you and everyone you live with.
That just cleaned feeling, when you finally sit down, light a candle, maybe hit a joint, and soak it all in. Just being. Quiet, clean, happy, at peace.
Below is a basic home cleaning schedule I’ve been using with success. Remember a little bit everyday adds up. If you can commit 10 minutes a day to cleaning, it’ll go a long way.
Daily
Make bed as soon as you get up
Wipe down kitchen counters and sink after meals
Quick pick-up of toys and clutter
Vacuum or sweep high-traffic areas
Weekly
Monday: Dust living areas, dining room, and hallways
35 days on our epic Southeast USA road trip, and it’s been an unforgettable journey!
From our hometown of Philadelphia, PA, we’ve explored the beauty of Southeast USA, covering: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Our straight-throughs for the trip were cafes, stickers, and cheap long sleeves. Our way of getting to know an area, support local businesses, and get some mementos. We also loved reading about the history of the area as we drove through each spot. Loved this trip so much, was a such fun adventure.
Virginia
American Brew Virginia Beach, Virginia coffee & whiskey bar w acai bowls – a favorite go-to spot for us
First Landing State Park (2 nights) Virginia Beach, Virginia historic bay and beach – first time camping within walking distance to the beach, morning miles + sunbathing
North Carolina
Sealevel Vegan Diner Wilmington, North Carolina artsy vegan spot for lunch + sweets – kinda want to work here?!
South Carolina
Huntington Beach State Park (2 nights) Murrells Inlet, South Carolina breathtaking marsh views & beach – a fun beach run to the jetty
Beech Cafe & Marketplace Charleston, South Carolina coffee, acai bowls, bagels w vegan butter, THC drinks – cutesy area
Georgia
Hungry Vegan Savannah, Georgia delicious vegan soul food – rare gem, great people, home kitchen vibes
Florida
Anastasia State Park (2 nights) St. Augustine, Florida sandy campsite with weekly farmers market – muffins, cold-pressed juice, micro greens
Clearwater Airbnb (7 nights) Clearwater, Tampa, Gulfport, and Dunedin vibrant city and beach towns – relaxed by the pool, explored new spots
St Andrews State Park (4 nights) Panama City, Florida waterfront camping by the gulf – amazing time, got hot and buggy so we spontaneously booked:
Alabama
Chewalaca State Park (1 night) Auburn, Alabama scenic trails and waterfall – our saving grace from the heat and bugs (a great lesson for us that we can do whatever we want when we want; we don’t have to be stubborn in changing the plan *this lesson serves us later on in the trip)
Oak Mountain State Park (3 nights) Pelham, Alabama majestic mountain range – tree top nature trail to visit native Alabama birds of prey rehabilitated by the Alabama Wildlife Center
Georgia
Cloudland Canyon State Park (2 nights) Rising Fawn, Georgia picturesque gorge, amazing trails, campsite was within .25 mile of a breathing overlook
*severe weather Alert comes in: Hurricane Helene is on our path and we have to decide whether to stay our third and final night at the Cloudland campsite (in our suv) or find a safe shelter (like a hotel) for the storm.
We decided on finding a hotel for the night. The next question was: Asheville, North Carolina (next major on our list) or Chattanooga, Tennessee (the town we were gonna drive through before Asheville)?
Tennessee
Days Inn Hotel (7 nights) Chattanooga, Tennessee scenic cityscape (waited out Hurricane Helene in safety) We ended up booking 3 nights at Days Inn initially. Really grateful we made this choice. Ashville was hit hard: lives lost, flooded roads, lost power, food and water storage, hundreds of people stranded for weeks with no phone service. Like tf. So sad and scary. While Chattanooga was spared. We got to enjoy a few city days walking and exploring with Champ, getting fun runs in. We were shaken up, but still trying to soak up the moment and be where are feet are.
Road Trip Pivot
At this point in our trip, we planned to hit the Blueridge Parkway in North Carolina but the hurricane devasted the entire area. We waited out at the Days Inn for another 3 nights to figure out our next move. We had two options: either head home or finish out our trip. We made some calls to see what campgrounds were even still open. And decided to skip over the BRP altogether and pick back up on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.
Between Days Inn Chattanooga and Shenandoah lies the Days Inn of Roanoke. And damn it if we could give a place 0 stars. Nasty ass. BUT we figured no one’s forcing us to stay, we packed up and headed to Walmart then Loves at 10pm to prep for Shenny (food shop, laundry, sleep). Wow if this wasn’t a test of patience. We were set on going home after this one, but finally landed on finishing the trip out.
Virginia
We made it to Shenandoah National Park and it was our trip highlight! It was a huge journey to get there, but we made it… and it was incredible. Skyline drive, the fall foliage, booking the “Honeymoon” suite during our actual honeymoon. It was pure magic. We ended the trip on a great note and headed back home refreshed.
Reflecting and Planning
As I wrap up this blog, I’m feeling super grateful for these new experiences. Making plans and taking off work is everything. Plan your year in advance if you can. Cheers to the open road and making memories with mi amor!
See Kevin’s Rule for our most up-to-date adventures
Cheers, the best is yet to come!
14 LESSONS & REMINDERS
1. No rush getting to next stop. Embrace the moment, THIS is it
2. Minimize screen time. Paper journal, read books, look at nature, talk
3. 5 am wake up for travel days (especially long drive day / if we are making stops along the way; give ourselves time to enjoy the road trip)
4. Organize stuff with stuff
5. Avoid the highways when possible, back roads are easier with rest stops, can just pull off to a gas station or store instead of taking an exit; also back roads are more scenic – take highways if we wanna get somewhere quicker
6. Grab park pamphlets at the welcome center (great info, free souvenir)
7. “Leave nothing but foot prints, take nothing but photos”
8. Workout gear + running clothes serve as an anchor; plan when you are doing workouts that day and pull the gear out asap
9. Check weather average for specific months (high & low) before booking (car camping)
10. Bugs are big deal, get bug kit – candle, incense sticks (BIG hit), wipes for champ and car, spray for us and campsite
11. State parks are a hit – well developed campgrounds with bathrooms, showers, sometimes a camp store and laundry. Shenandoah is not a state park however they have great amenities
12. It’s okay to change plans & reservations, especially if it’s due to weather; you’ll get some sort of refund at most campgrounds; take note when booking about cancellation policy
13. Itinerary folder BIG hit; have confirmation emails & cancellation policies printed out ready to go within folder; have a place to write out notes for each campground / reservation
14. Gear: Wobbie is great quality and versatile (blanket, sunshade, etc); canopy is a must have; having an easy to clean pour over coffee set up with reusable coffee cup is everything; camping stove is a must with extra fuel; dehydrated food big hit
Real growth comes from sitting down and thinking about life.
Starting from our inner world (thoughts, feelings, behavior)…
Working toward our outer world (living situation, job, hobbies, relationships, daily routine)
To start, I asked myself: what fulfills me?
SAVERS morning routine
Gardening and plant care
Cozy coffee/tea time
Yoga flows and strength training
Family walks with Joe + Champ
Sunbathing
Playing guitar
Photography (taking + editing)
Posting on Instagram and blog
Cooking, fruits and vegetables
Boho home decorating
Cleaning (I actually enjoy this!)
BBI shifts (tolerable, pays the bills)
I have a dream to live with monks in Thailand later in life. To share my stories with travelers and explore parts of me I’ve never discovered before. While I’m on the journey to get there, I’m thinking: what should I focus on?
✓ SAVERS morning routine
✓ Connection to nature (gardening, sunbathing, walks)
✓ Creative expression (guitar, photography, blog)
✓ Physical practice (yoga, strength training)
✓ Mindful living (tea time, cooking, healthy eating, upkeep temple)
✓ Sharing seeds with others (Instagram, blog – inspiring w/o pressure)
✓ Simple work that pays the bills without consuming me (BBI)
✓ Financial freedom building (real estate, investments)
I am the elder monk living her stories out in real time. It’s magical and intentional.
As I continue protecting my peace, I’m feeling way less stressed, with more focus, clarity, calmness, and happiness. Connecting more with things that bring me peace, and disconnecting from things that drain my energy.
