MEET YOUR HOST
AMI KUNIMURA, MA, MT-BC

Hi, I’m Ami (pronounced Ah-me), founder of The Self-Care Institute and host of The 5-Day Self-Care Challenge.

I’m here to help you decrease burnout and stress by implementing sustainable self-care practices so you can feel effective and fulfilled at work and at home.

As a helping professional myself, I’ve been a board-certified music therapist for 14 years, specializing in mental health and addictions treatment. I’m also a teacher, writer, and speaker, and I’ve presented on self-care and professional burnout at international events and conferences.

Here are two things I want to clarify about self-care:

1. Self-care is more than just what you do in your free time. Self-care is more than getting a massage or treating yourself to things. Self-care includes your everyday behavior and mindset in regards to how you care for yourself. This involves respecting yourself, not being so hard on yourself, and honoring your limits so that you can feel alive and present in your own life. This is what we’ll be working on in the challenge.

2.  I’m not against hard work. I believe in doing the best work you can and making impactful contributions through your work. Self-care doesn’t mean not working hard and working hard doesn’t mean you’re not caring for yourself. Self-care and hard work can coexist.

You do so much for others, and during this challenge, my goal is to support you by keeping this simple, effective, and realistic. Although self-care might seem like a basic life skill, it’s often something we need to re-learn, and continually reshape as we move through life.

This has been an especially difficult year, and during times when self-care is hard to practice – that’s when we need it most.

I’m looking forward to connecting with you and supporting your self-care during this 5-day challenge.

Now, take a deep breath in, and exhale…