Welcome to Issue #278
by Rachel Brandes
Quote of the Week
“Being scared is part of being alive. Accept it. Walk through it.”
– Robin Sharma, Canadian Author
Feline Tomfoolery
with Brady & Belichick
Dear Humans,
This week we share photos from prior to our move to Utah because for one, I (Belichick) look absolutely beautiful, and for two, I (Brady) wanted to share what happens when the human goes too far with her antics. Turn up the volume on the below video to hear her audible reaction.
Much Love, Brady & Belichick
Brady & Belichick are Rachel’s adorable felines. These two cute boys turned two on May 4, 2025.
Random Photo of the Week
A simply beautiful Salt Lake City bee doing his thing when a strange human got super close for a great shot. What a lovely view. Photo by Rachel.
Mental Health Minute
When was the last time you reached out to a friend or loved one and checked in on their mental health? Maybe today could be that day. Start the conversation.
RunDay FunDay
Salty Star Run Club
Missing the Tacoma Run Club, Rachel was quick to look into Salt Lake City clubs. She found there to be several in the area, but the Salty Star Run Club caught her eye due to the size of the club. On Saturday, September 20th, she would attend her first meet up with the group at Loki Coffee in Salt Lake City.
When she arrived, she was surprised by the set up. A DJ table and a sample / giveaway table (free cold brew and bananas)? Wow.
Backing up a bit… when Rachel found this club, she noticed by the photos that it appeared to be a group of younger people. She’s glad this didn’t stop her. She was right, A LOT of young people. She would later learn the group was founded by college friends who have a lot of connections. Their inaugural run was just over a year ago in June 2024, which had roughly 60 in attendance.
The route for this meetup took runners through Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. Rachel was so excited to run by the lake, she stopped to snap a few pictures. Oh, how she misses the Puget Sound, but this view was beautiful.
There was no group photo taken at this event, but organizers estimated roughly 100 attendees. Looking at the photo below, the end of the runners isn’t even visible.
City running was certainly different than what Rachel was used to with the Tacoma Run Club and stop lights and vehicles were now in play. Rachel snapped a photo of a group of runners that got trapped at a light.
Rachel met some great people during the event and looks forward to experiencing more fun times with the Salty Star Run Club.
3rd Annual Namastadium
Pictured Above: A photo shared on social media as Namastadium 2025 participants send their heels to the sky.
Thanks to a quick search for upcoming events on Eventbrite, Rachel recently found a perfect Saturday morning activity. On Saturday, September 13, 2025, she headed for Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah for the 3rd Annual Namastadium event. The event is coordinated by an amazing group by the name of Yoga Forward.
Click here to check out Eventbrite
As she usually does, Rachel turned to Google’s AI for a good description of just what Yoga Forward is all about…
“Yoga Forward is a non-profit organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah, dedicated to integrating the benefits of yoga and mindfulness into the lives of individuals, particularly those in need. Founded by wellness advocate Denise Druce, it serves as a hub for over 1,000 members of the Yoga Assets Teacher Training community. The organization focuses on community service outreach, offering yoga and mindfulness to vulnerable populations, including incarcerated individuals, veterans, and at-risk youth. Through programs like the 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training, Yoga Forward aims to foster rehabilitation and improve mental health, promoting self-awareness and resilience.”
Pictured above is a photo of Denise Druce captured on Eventbrite.com’s Namastadium lineup.
Click here to learn more about Yoga Forward
Have you ever met someone and known immediately they are your kind of person? Their vibe, their energy, whatever it is that draws you in, listen to it and embrace it. Rachel has met so many amazing people that spark joy in her life and she tends to meet them when she is roaming around this world in her own head.
When Rachel arrived at the stadium, she was overwhelmed by the number of people already there (and this was nothing compared to a few hours later). She set up her mat near the front of the group and was walking to the back to capture a picture of everyone setting up their mats. This was when Bahaa Chmait caught her eye. She noticed his shirt right away, smiled to herself, and almost kept walking. Then she remembered, when something draws you in, embrace it. She turned to him and complimented his shirt.
His energy was immediately positive and inviting. It turns out Joy Mob is a business and Bahaa started it in 2018. He explained that he loves to spread joy and said that they are really just a “mob of joyful people.” Jackpot. Rachel loves to spread joy and be around people that are joyful. Bahaa was a great find on Saturday. Rachel will be watching for Joy Mob events in which to participate.
Pictured above Bahaa poses for a photo in the best way possible. Thanks for spreading your joy, Bahaa.
As luck would have it, Bahaa was an opener at the event and started things off with a couple of ‘intentional social interactions.’ Being a true introvert, this terrified Rachel, but being terrified to do something means you should do it, so she went all in. She got to meet several ladies around her (her neighbor was also a Rachel). They got to make up a secret handshake and self-created do-si-do. Talk about uncomfortable and just what she needed to feel more comfortable. Odd how that works, right?
Click here to learn more about Joy Mob
To learn more about Bahaa and his incredible work, click here
How many people can say they have done yoga on a college football field with hundreds of people? Rachel can now add this to her list of great experiences. During the terrifying ‘intentional social interactions,’ Rachel learned that all of those surrounding her were also first timers to the event. They were all impressed by just how many people were in attendance. Later reports would indicate roughly 600 in attendance that day.
Photo above captured on Instagram as Denise Druce leads the flow.
Attendees were treated to an hour of yoga flow with three fantastic instructors. Denise Druce (see above section) started the class off with a joke that Rachel wishes she could remember, and in a seamless transition, Amy Davis took over.
Photo above captured on Instagram at amy.davis.fitness.
Both Denise and Amy were each fantastic is their own ways. Next up was Lebo and an entirely different experience for Rachel.
Photo above captured on Instagram as Amy led the flow.
The final instructor to take over was Lebo Goad. When Lebo took over and Rachel heard the new voice, she stopped in her tracks and looked up. This new voice was soft and calming with an incredible intentional tone. She quickly got back into her pose and finished the flow but was fascinated by this voice.
Photo above captured on Instagram as Lebo led the flow.
At the end of any yoga class, you will find yourself in a pose called Shavasna, also known as corpse pose (interesting, right?). Shavasna promotes deep relaxation and has an abundance of both physical and mental health benefits. If you are able to allow yourself to really be in the moment, it can open you up to emotions you didn’t know were at the surface. Rachel has even dozed off several times during Shavasna.
At the end of this yoga practice, just as Rachel was finding herself drifting into a fantastically relaxed state, Lebo began singing in Zulu (a South African language). The song, Yehla Moya. She later learned that this is a song that Lebo’s great grandmother used to sing.
Rachel was blown away by this song. Lebo’s voice and this song transported her to another place where she found herself tearing up. Tearing up in a good way, almost like an emotional release. It’s rare for her to experience this sort of feeling and she loved it.
Luckily, someone else in Shavasna took a break from their relaxing and videoed this performance to share via social media. Turn up the volume and enjoy the below video of Lebo singing Yehla Moya.
Rachel was not about to leave this event without meeting Lebo. As soon as she finished her Shavasna, she packed up her things and headed straight for her. It was important to her to share with Lebo just how touched she was by her voice and song.
Lebo was as kind as she expected, a beautiful person both inside and out. She was kind enough to pose for a picture with Rachel, who was thankful Lebo didn’t make her feel awkward for getting actual goosebumps when expressing how touched she was by the experience.
The 4th Annual Namastadium can’t come quickly enough. Rachel is now following all three instructors, as well as Bahaa, on social media to keep tabs on when and where she can experience their awesomeness next.
Denise sent out a post-event email to all thanking vendors, the volunteers, and Ken Garff University Club staff, and the stadium crew. Rachel can attest that everyone she encountered that was involved with this event was great. She can’t believe how lucky she was to find this event. She was also lucky in that this event ticket was only $7. Incredible.
Photo above captured on Instagram of the three amazing instructions showing the universal (Utah universal) sign for the University of Utah, left to right: Denise, Lebo and Amy.
This story cannot be finished without mentioning someone else. DJ Afrolicious, aka James Jessie, who kept the vendor/raffle area hopping with his great tunes. If you are local to Salt Lake City or the surrounding area and need a DJ, you should check out DJ Afrolicious.
This was a fun event in Salt Lake City, stay tuned to see what Rachel gets up to next. Until next time, be well.
Click here to learn more about DJ Afrolicious
