'Tis the season to be jolly! With Christmas and New Year around the corner, on one side we make resolutions and on the other side, we are over-eating, exhausted and hungover. To navigate the festive season better, we decided to connect with Marjolaine Savoie, a confidence & business coach, yoga teacher & singer-songwriter on how to live mindfully.  

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Marjolaine lives mindfully near Berlin with the love of her life. Five years ago, she sold everything she had in Canada and moved to Germany to follow her dreams. Fast forward to today, she lives on her terms and is obsessed with helping extraordinary women execute their creative ideas. Marjolaine provides transformative online courses, hosts international yoga retreats, and offers coaching sessions tailored exclusively for creative female entrepreneurs to let go of fears, build a brand they are madly in love with and find the confidence to turn their dreams into reality with immense clarity.

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In a world full of noise and chaotic energy, Marjolaine advocates ease. On her podcast Live Mindfully and through her social platforms, she encourages women to slow down, embrace their wild and inner (confident) goddess and act in accordance with their true purpose in life. In her spare time, she enjoys walking barefoot, drinking coffee, or moonlighting as a singer. 

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Who better than her to help us live mindfully in the new decade! Here is an excerpt from our chat.

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What does a New Year signify for you?

Being an expat in Germany, New Year is always a moment to go back to my roots in French-Canada and share how much changed for me during that year and compare how I feel around old friends, seeing life from a new lens. I recognise old patterns, see how far I’ve come and get excited to share my plans with loved ones. The new year is a moment for me to begin a new chapter in my business and life and get a bird’s eye perspective on what’s to come, zooming out and planning my next steps intentionally. 

How can we set the right intentions for the new year (which is also the start of a new decade!)?

I always go about choosing one word for the year that is significant for me. For example, last year was about expansion for me and I certainly achieved that! This year, I am yet to choose my word of the year, but I always do a small meditation and ask myself: What is this year about for me? What do I want to express, create or ignite in my life?

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Some examples

• Freedom

• Prosperity

• Authenticity

• Love

• Adventure

• Confidence

I also begin by creating a vision board on Pinterest, that represents visually my main goals, vision, dreams & desires. There is no right or wrong intention and we can always adjust along the way as we grow. We can only choose from what we know and we change a lot in a year.

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How can we begin 2020 mindfully? Are there any practices we can follow?

I think it is overall about choosing to implement one little change at a time until it becomes naturally part of the day-to-day, rather than going all in. The key to sustained change is to be patient and intentional. 

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• I recommend making it a non-negotiable to meditate at least 3 minutes daily, even if it’s right before or after bed, to create that daily space for ourselves

• I recommend scheduling a few mindful alarms on your phone with some reminders to take a deep breath, observe the moment as it is or recenter yourself and smile

• I love the practice of a daily silent walk that will allow you to be aware of the sounds, steps or smells. Focusing on one sense at a time and cultivating awareness is a beautiful practice

• And of course, practising gratitude daily by writing or saying out loud 3 things we are grateful for each day, big or small is a great way to set an intention

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What kind of resolutions should we set and how do we go about achieving them? Do you have any tips?

I set new resolutions every new moon and I have achieved my resolutions way more consistently than when I was setting them just for the new year. I recommend seeing new year’s resolution as a moment to start a new year of growth. Choose an umbrella topic for the year and break it down into monthly milestones. We so often get caught up in writing all our desired change down, but rather than giving ourselves one week to start fresh, we see that it’s not that easy and stop. 

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Instead, see this new beginning as an opportunity to take it slow and break your goals down into doable steps that you can implement. No need to start in the same week to quit your job, go to the gym and drink smoothies. 

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Rather, if you want to be more confident this year, what does it mean…

In January I will practice daily affirmations & seek for a course that will help me

In February, I will follow through the course & implement 1-time yoga a week

In March, I will take a one day retreat at the spa to practice self-love

etc...

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The holiday season is one of indulgences and excesses. We consume more than ever – food, gifts, alcohol, etc. We are often tired, less productive and nursing hangovers and food comas. How can we stay mindful of our physical and mental health in such circumstances?

I think one of the biggest keys to maintaining balance and healthy habits is to stay focused on our bigger picture and the person we are becoming. And for me, that starts by maintaining my morning meditation and yoga practice even if I were on the road for a month. What I do is change the format and allow myself to do a shorter meditation and take a slow flow instead of an intense power class. 

The point is, I remind myself to be kind to myself and embrace changes, instead of trying to maintain an unrealistic routine. As an entrepreneur, I still need to put my best foot forward to provide value on my social platforms and energetically support my 1:1 clients. Therefore, I want to set an example and maintain my alignment so that I can stay fit emotionally and physically. But it’s also a great time to unwind and relax, so I recommend making the workdays shorter and taking time to spend some mindful time enjoying a walk, meditating and reading without guilt. 

I used to drink a glass of wine here and there, but 4 months ago, I officially decided to stop drinking, to maintain my energy level and make sure I treat my body well. However, whether you are making such a transition or simply want to improve your overall well-being during the holidays, I recommend choosing mocktails and flavoured sparkly water over consuming too much alcohol. We usually drink more because of the social context, but my take on this and food choices is to allow ourselves all year long to indulge in moderation. When we are more flexible year-round, we feel less of a need to "catch-up" on all the food offered to us, but instead, maintain our habits. 

I would invite people to tune in with their intuition and instead of choosing what they want to eat & drink, make sure they respect how they want to feel & be. I want to feel energetic & light, so even if I indulge in a bag of chips, I will make sure it remains in that realm. The key is to make intentional choices, even if those choices are a bit more indulgent than usual! As long as it is consumed without guilt & in moderation, we are set for a joyful holiday season!

What are some thoughtful and mindful gifts that we can consider giving to our near and dear ones? Do you have any personal recommendations?

Now that I am only buying vegan products, limit my plastic consumption and live more minimally, I make sure to express my new value to my family and friends. They will not always understand at first, but it is a great opportunity to be authentic and educate people on the way we live.

I also always try to buy responsible products or make them discover my favourites.

• Bamboo toothbrush

• Reusable water bottle

• Non-toxic soy candles 

• Reusable straws

• Wax food wrapping

• Essential oils

Or I focus on offering experiences: 

• Concerts

• Spa Day

• Massage

• Dinner at your favourite restaurant

Or doing something myself: 

• Jar of cookies

• Jam

• Bath Bomb

• Photo album with thoughtful quotes 

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What habits will be more important than ever in the coming year?

Honestly, I think this year is about intentionality over hustle. Realising how to listen to ourselves through self-awareness practice and taking aligned action. I think this year people will look more and more towards conscious consumerism and learning the skills to transform our lifestyle. I also think having the habit of continuous learning will be important. As well as meditation across all industries, I think. It is becoming increasingly important.

What are your goals for 2020?

I think 2020 is exciting because I will relaunch my website with full new branding and content that will truly impact my community, so I can’t wait!

• This year I want to level-up my systems and increase more passive income in my business
• Do a new advanced yoga teacher certification and continue hosting successful and transformative yoga retreats
• Get educated further on conscious living
• Impact hundreds of women through the Confident Goddess Academy
• Help my 1:1 clients achieve their dreams and wake up aligned
• Launch new courses and impact women both on confidence and personal branding
• Travel more frequently in a conscious way
• And release a new music album! 

I am always, almost daily, renewing and updating my dreams, goals and action plans, so for my new year is also a great opportunity to teach what I know about vision-setting and educate my friends and family. It will be a great year!

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Inspired by Marjolaine's advice? Check out Marjolaine's classes by signing up for our membership! Or come say hi at hey@newcampus.co ✨