Today I’m really excited to share that I am a part of the “Brilliant Marketing Tricks Blog Series” as organized by Mayi Carles.

My contribution is… you guessed it: How to Use, Create, and Leverage Video to Market Your Business Online!

Check it out if you’re curious about how I make my videos, and how you can too.

I’d really appreciate a little pixiedust from you to help me fly…

I’m one of 15 finalists for a contest from Infusionsoft where I have a chance to win $10,000 and one year of the service for free.

Please vote for “Raw Foods Witch”, it takes only 5 seconds and you’ll have my deepest gratitude! *Muah!*

Important: Please read to the end of this post for a special summer wrap up contest! It’s super easy to enter, so read on!

It’s been awhile since I wrote a personal update about what’s going on in my life. A lot has changed in these past few months, and I wanted to give you a little glimpse into my summer.

I Traveled, and I Met Mother Nature

In June I went to Miami with Robin, where we went scuba diving for the first time. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life! It shifted both our opinions on fish and sea creatures.

Even though I’ve always had a fear of sharks from watching Jaws too many times as a kid… I remained calm when we met a shark underwater. It was kind of peaceful, go figure!

In August we went camping in the Algonquin park of Northern Ontario. We didn’t see any bears, but we did hear the loons. Let me tell you that it’s really beautiful to hear with your own ears, as opposed to watching it on TV.

I Got Media Attention

The publishing world moves a little slower than the online world I’m used to. Even though I’ve known for awhile that I was going to be published in magazines like Viva, Tonic, and The Edge, the issues are just coming out now.

I’ve become a regular contributor for Tonic, and I run the Inspired Living column in Viva magazine. I’m also featured as one of 25 passionate women entrepreneurs in the book “The T-shirt to Prove It”.

Oh, and I recently got nominated in the Best of Canada Natural Health Awards. Life is good.

(That’s what I call bragging, thanks for indulging me!)

I Adopted a Dog

Millie is our little bundle of rescue-dog joy. She’s adapted really well to our apartment and the nearby parks. She loves to chase the geese, even though they’re bigger than she is.

I also got a taste of what having a kid is like between bath time, feeding, and bathroom breaks. Millie isn’t too keen on getting bathed, just look at that pouty face!

With the new dog we also took the opportunity to re-arrange the apartment. It feels a lot more FengShui now. Even though Robin isn’t into that kind of thing, he likes the new arrangements too. ;)

I Programmed My Witchy Butt Off

Even though I thought programming was behind me, I put on my software engineer hat and programmed my butt off. This is me in 2006 during my undergraduate degree in software engineering.

This summer I programmed something that’s really near and dear to my heart. It’s designed to make eating healthy super easy, and although it’s currently in beta I can’t wait to wave my programmer flag and show the world.

I MCed, and Hung Out with Raw Superstars

In June, I helped out at the Simply Raw Festival in Ottawa, where I MCed on the main stage. I had to improvise for an hour because one of the speakers was stuck in traffic. Luckily, I also took Improv classes this summer… so I was able to keep the crowd entertained.

I met one of my childhood music heroines, Bif Naked. She spoke at the festival about her journey with raw food, and we laughed about her dog’s bowel movements together.

In August, Robin and I learned from the superfood champion himself, David Wolfe. He showed us how to identify different edible mushrooms, as well as mushrooms used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

David walked barefoot in the woods, and we wore our Vibram FiveFingers. I swam in the nearby lake and munched on superfood chocolate. Yum yum.

Something Big is Brewing…

So while I was out there living my life, I realized that something had changed. All of these life experiences have led me to a realization. This is something that really revolutionizes the way that people will think about diet, raw food, and health.

It has nothing to do with juicing, fasting, supplements, superfoods, or will power (gimme a break!).

I’ll explain my big epiphany in the next post, so stay tuned!

Summer Wrap Up Contest!

Now that I’ve told you what I’ve been up to this summer… it’s time for you to let me know what you’ve been up to!

To sweeten up the pot a little, I’m giving away a raw food book to one lucky winner! And since I’m feeling extra generous, if we get over 75 comments, I’ll give away two.

So to increase your chances of winning a raw food book with super fun recipes, tell your friends and family about this site. Tweet it out on twitter. Post about it on Facebook.

The contest is over and the winners have been announced! Click here to see who they are!

So Raw Food Switch is holding its first contest! I’m so excited to be able to give away 4 of these special Eating by Choice sessions. I’m also really looking forward to reading the entries, and working with you to help you heal your relationship with food once and for all!

What You’ll Win:

An hour long one-on-one Eating By Choice Session with me, Nathalie Lussier. In this session I’ll determine your three most defenseless “food decision” moments, and provide strategies for eating your best by eliminating those vulnerable moments before they happen.

Bonus: After the session, you’ll get a printable worksheet with customized steps you can follow to easily make healthy food choices tomorrow, no matter how you ate today!

How to Win:

Write one paragraph about your biggest healthy eating challenge (or if you’re into raw foods already, your biggest raw food challenge!) and post it on your blog or Facebook with a link back to http://www.rawfoodswitch.com/eating-by-choice-contest/. Then email nathalie@rawfoodswitch.com with your entry, OR just email your entry to nathalie@rawfoodswitch.com.

Contest Rules:

Four winners will be chosen at random on April 17th, 2009. You’ll be contacted by me to schedule your session right away.

Photo credit: Hannah Webster

Watch The Video!