Hello over there. I’m Liz Lamoreux.

The short version is I’m a teacher and guide who helps you navigate The And Space through my writing, ecourses, retreats, and other offerings. This is the space where we hold beauty in one hand and grit in the other, where we experience the routine while we sometimes dream of something more, where we feel joy even in the midst of grief. 

We’re all in The And Space in some form or another as we hold the stories of where we’ve been and where we want to go. And sometimes it can feel a bit lonely in that space. But that’s the very space where I want to connect with you.

Here’s the longer version:

As a little girl, I’d sit in my parents’ green lazy-boy rocker and watch back-to-back episodes of Mister Rogers on our local PBS stations. He would say, “I like you just the way you are” as he looked right at me through that old television. And somewhere in my little four-year-old heart, I would simply and profoundly believe him. 

This belief has led me to this moment writing these words to you: Honey, you are enough, just the way you are.

I know this can be hard for us to remember every day. It can get forgotten amidst the to-do lists and the moments when you think, “How did I get here?” And we can get overwhelmed by the roles we play and get lost in the daily routine.

I want to help you come back to center, to knowing this truth, through accessible, manageable self-care, creative, and mindfulness practices that will help you cultivate a beautiful relationship with you. Here are a few ways we can connect in The And Space.

I teach ecourses and workshops about self-care, creativity, mindfulness, and ways we can say “yes” to this moment and all that it might bring. I’m also the author of Inner Excavation, a book of poetry called Five Days in April, and two journals - Being Seen and In This Moment: A Field Guide and Photo Album.

I host the Be Present Retreats, which are gatherings in the Pacific Northwest that bring people together to play with paint and paper and words, to talk about the true stories, to connect deeply with kindred spirits, and to begin to chart a course toward where they most want to go in their lives.

I create jewelry and gather tools and talismans for my shop Soul Mantras.

I also curate inspiration and favorite things over on Pinterest, where I share my finds with more than 3.5 million people.

If we were having tea together today, here’s what I’d want you to know:

You aren’t alone over there. 

You are whole (even in the spaces where you might feel a little broken).

And you can take steps to build a bridge between right now and where you want to go one move at a time. Starting today. (I really do believe this.)

What I want to do is help you listen to the wisdom inside you so you can begin to build that bridge as you navigate The And Space.

A little bit about where I come from:

When I was ten, my mom thought I would enjoy 4H, so I started sewing and baking that summer. The other girls created mid-80s inspired mini skirts, but I created a calico skirt and matching floral drawstring bag because I wanted to look like Laura Ingalls. Closing my eyes, I am right back to that mosquito-filled dusty midwest night when I modeled my green honorable mention ribbon and my navy blue with little flowers skirt, my hair long down my back and my smile wide with giddiness. 

During my teens, I surrounded myself with books that became my best friends and got a bit lost in the world of writing (lots of teenage angsty half-filled notebooks during those years). After getting a degree in psychology at the University of Notre Dame, my soul-searching adventures transported me into the world of poetry, yoga, and meditation.

Then I turned 30. And around that time I began to feel a bit more at home with myself. I completed a two-year yoga teacher training and began writing my blog in the fall of 2005. An experience with deep grief cracked me open at that time and writing + photography + poetry saved me.

When I experienced a traumatic birth when my child was born and then she needed life saving open heart surgery at four months old, I began to deeply understand that seeing the beauty in the midst of the hard stuff, the shit, the messy everyday stuff would help me to heal the cracks that living creates. This intersection of beauty and messy is what I am drawn to write about and talk about on my blog, in my newsletter stories, and when I sit down with someone for a cup of tea.

I like to just get to the juicy good stuff, the real stuff, and create a space where those kinds of stories can be shared.

Today, I live in the Puget Sound area with my husband, our (healthy, always on the move, chatting up everyone she meets) 11 year old, and our two dogs. You can often find me in my studio surrounded by poetry, photos, paper and paints and words, several journals, and a mug of coffee. 

You can connect with me by email at liz.lamoreux@gmail.com or through this email form on my site.