Spend a self-care day with me!

Leaning into your self care routine is essential to being more productive BUT can help in elevating your divine feminine energy. #SayLess

We all have those days where we feel like we should push through the exhaustion and be productive.

But then there are days when you sleep in (not by choice), feel decision fatigue with every little thought and feel overwhelmed by the thought of your to do list.

The way to circumvent getting to any level of burn out (like listed above, because they are both a form of burn out) is to have a regularly scheduled self care routine. 
Or in my case self care day!  These happen very rarely and are usually caused by not making self care a natural part of my day.  So I took the day to lean into myself, be self obsessed and get things done that would feed my soul.

So …Join me on as I take a self care day!

Although I completely missed my morning routine (journal, meditate)…My day started with a healthy breakfast

My go to oatmeal right now is half cup of cooked steel cut oats, 4 strawberries, 1 banana, quarter cup of blue berries an a tablespoon of maple syrup.

c/o pinterest

I have an awesome life partner who noticed me working too hard several weeks prior and booked me a 9am full body massage!

It was the perfect release after many weeks of half marathon training and general life pressures.

c/o pinterest

Since I was out, I figured I might as well get some errands done.  I did a Fedex return and dropped off some overdue books to the library!

I ended up spending time at the library, perusing books for future readying, searching Pinterest for my vision board and checking out books for the girls #MomLife

c/o pinterest

I went home and made myself a healthy nutritious lunch: scrambled eggs, edamame, roasted potatoes and broccoli and a home made alioli.

With lunch I watched some Modern Family.  I ALWAYS re-watch shows (SATC, Friends, Seinfeld and now Modern Family) because I do not have the bandwidth to start something new.

I let my food digest while I worked on my vision board and then got a workout in: 30 min run followed by a 20 min full body/no repeats tabata.

c/o pinterest

Full transparency I watched a few of my fav YouTubers while I worked out (ie: Tam Kaur, Melanie P Cruz, Holly B Fitness) – I love motivational inspo and could watch these creators on repeat.

Immediately followed that up with an epsom salt bubble bath …and yes the bubbles are MANDATORY ;)

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I made good use of my soak by reading.  I try and read 10 pages a day and I’m currently reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.  I love self dev books, but try to balance them out with some fun fiction tool.

By the time I got out of the shower, I had about 30 minutes before I had to pick up my kids so I did a quick clean or my desk.  Switched up my set up and deep cleaned all the surfaces. 

It was a much needed spring clean.

The rest of the evening was spent being a parent but I managed to finish the evening with a brain dump in my journal (released a lot of thoughts/emotions), had a herbal tea and slept early!

c/o pinterest

Hope this inspired you to add some self care to your day, or take a day all together for yourself!

5 top ways to be more confident in your career

One thing about me, is if I can share my wisdom I will.  I do a lot of mentoring in my corporate girlie life.  And I also look for opportunities to be mentored.  I’ve had a few great mentors over the years who have guided, protected and propelled me – so I really feel passionate about giving back.

Sometimes, those mentors are in my company, in my personal life or even virtual.

So consider me your virtual mentor!  I hope these tips can help you exude more confidence in your job, career, big dreams and beyond.

  1. Don’t take personalities or communication styles personally
    I find that as adults making friends is a hit or miss. There is such a mix of characters and preferred ways of interacting that we can be friendly with some and frenemies with others. The same applies in the workplace. There is also a mix of personalities and communication styles (cultures and genders can add to the bag). Remind yourself that when people are being direct, it is not personal.
  2. Stop putting others on a pedestals
    If you think other people around are better or smarter than you, because of a certain job title, project they are on or experience – they probably arent. And you can prevent the feeling of under confidence by not assuming people are better than you purely based on what you see. Remember everyone is going through something, even if you can’t see it.
  3. Assume you are doing well (unless you are told otherwise)
    Managers have a responsibility to have transparent conversations with their employees about work activities and performance. So unless you are being told otherwise, assume everything is going well!
  4. Remind yourself its not that serious
    Perspective is important. Remember if it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend 5 seconds thinking about it. Zoom out and get a higher point of view. Put in an honest effort, but don’t lose sleep or miss your breaks/PTO because of it.
  5. Reframe your negative thoughts into positive ones
    We often think the worse in every situation. It actually takes more effort and energy to negative than positively. If you feel like you are asking too many questions, remind yourself that you want to have clarity. But also if you get feedback that at first stings, take it as an opportunity to improve.

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

I’m definitely not one of those moms (read: momfluencers) who plans gram worthy photoshoots at the farm.  Honestly I’d rather engage my kids in a 500 piece puzzle or take an early morning trip to the art gallery.

But once or twice a year, we head out to our local neighbourhood farm to support their small business.

The girls enjoyed “getting lost” in the corn maze and searching for the perfect pumpkin.  The fresh air and crisp air really got us in the autumn mood!

Pumpkins, Pumpkin patch, Barrel, Farm Visit, green grass, Gord, mini pumpkins

A guide to our happy chemicals

I recently read an article about the happy chemicals our body produces and I realized I wanted to have this information live permanently on my blog for my future reference! (and of course for anyone else who may find this useful!)

I’ve always had an interest in personal growth and how we naturally tend to support ourselves so this topic is right up that alley. So sharing each happy chemical, what it does and how to activate it. Please be sure to like, comment and share!

(Scroll to the bottom for outfit details)

Serotonin – Stabilizes our mood

  • Deep breathing
  • Meditating
  • Walking in Nature
  • Go for a run

Endorphin – Pain Relief

  • Laughing
  • Dancing
  • Stretching
  • Essential Oils

Oxytocin – Building love & trust

  • Hugging somone
  • Giving someone a compliment
  • Helping someone
  • Playing with a pet or a child

Dopamine – Reward & Motivation

  • Finishing a task (hack: ANY task no matter how big or small)
  • Eating your favourite meal
  • Listening to music
  • Practicing self care

Dress – Urban Behaviour | Sunglasses – Amazon | Shoes – Call it Spring | Purse – Channel

Review, Refocus & Readjust – Mid year goal review

As we round out the first half of the year and slide into the second half, I thought it would be a great idea to provide some inspiration to reset, readjust, restart and refocus.

Greenery in Paradise
Sunset in Tulum
  1. Review your goals and determine priority
    Before blindly continuing to do something that may no longer be serving you, take some time to review your goals. Maybe you’ve plateaued in some areas, or maybe you haven’t given enough time to one area of your life. Even better, maybe you’ve accomplished a goal and it no longer requires your attention. Creating self awareness is really important and it’s also a good idea to get organized in a way that makes sense to you. Maybe writing the goals that you will continue to work on on a sticky or using a Moleskin to help refocus an area where you’ve been lacking.
  2. Disrupt and edit your routine
    Once you’ve figure out what you want to focus on, redesign your daily habits to meet those goals. It’s true what they say…success is a series of small wins. Use your day planner, Gcal or Notion to structure your day and include activities that help you work towards ticking off those goals by end of year
  3. Level up, track your progress & give yourself grace
    As you continue your goal achievement journey, do you best to stay accountable (whether that is through a private IG account, blog or good ol’ pen & paper). I’m a big believer in documenting your life and it’s always nice to see how far you’ve come. But what’s even more important is giving yourself grace. Working towards your personal and professional goals are not meant to be invigorating and inspiring so remember to take breaks/rest, celebrate your wins and smile!
Waves hitting the break wall
Reflections are everywhere

You don’t need perfection to inspire

Happy Thursday! Lately I’ve noticed a shift in my confidence.  In my desire to get out of my comfort zone, meet people, wear all the jewelry, be extra and bold in my style choices & courage in my work and personal goals. So today I’m sharing some words that really resonated with me recently.  Along with some fit shots from a few days ago… Enjoy! 

Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate
Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate
Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate
Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate

Imperfection is a form of freedom

Let your process, your struggle and your progress inspire others.

You don’t need perfection to encourage those who are watching you

Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate
Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate
Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate
Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate
Inspire others, progress over perfection, OOTD, Have fun, that girl, Motivate