If you’re anything like me you know this struggle all too well: wanting to knock everything off your to-do list and have high-productivity days while still eating a well-balanced diet. And while it may sound easy, it can often become a struggle.
From not finding the time to meal prep to needing something quick and easy (hello unhealthy fast food), it can be hard eat healthy while trying to get it all done.
But with The Fresh Plan you can.
Continue readingLet’s be real: interviews can be nerve wrecking!
Continue readingYou hear it all the time lately: self care Sunday, self care bubble bath, or self care face mask. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing – I do this all the time! Taking time to pamper yourself is important, but there’s much more to self care than an occasional bath.
Continue readingI don’t blame you. Getting a puppy was easily the greatest decision I have ever made. Waffles, who you may be sick of seeing pictures of by now if you follow me on Instagram, has brought me so much joy, responsibility, and unconditional love that I can’t truly describe how thankful I am that he joined my little family.
Continue readingNote: This article was previously published on another blog platform and has been updated to reflect a few (wonderful) life changes
Between work, school, the gym, dinners with friends, birthdays, holidays, laundry, family time and anything else you may be juggling it’s easy to overbook yourself. With the constant pressure to be able to do it all despite only having 24 hours in a day what starts as an easy to manage schedule can quickly become a nightmare. I know from experience. Continue reading
There are few things that make me happier than a surprise bouquet of flowers. From their vibrant color to the intoxicating smell, a fresh bouquet in my apartment brings a huge smile to my face. And it’s not just me! Studies show that flowers trigger happy brain chemicals – so they actually do improve your mood. Which is why they make the perfect gift for every occasion.
Whether it’s to express condolences or joy, for an anniversary or Valentine’s Day, a birthday or Mother’s Day (Hint! Hint! At least one of these is coming up soon), a beautiful bouquet is the perfect way to show you care. Continue reading
I don’t know about you, but often times my environment dictates my productivity. When I try to power through work at home I find myself taking breaks to do laundry or grab a snack from the fridge, wander to bed and need a nap, or the dreaded “I can get this done while watching The Real Housewives.” And while I’ve looked into coworking spaces to get my blogging done none ever fit my needs. They felt too informal, had kitchens I could wander in to for beer and coffee and get distracted talking to someone, or were spaces that felt more like a hangout than a work environment. That is, until Co-Optim moved into the West Loop. Continue reading
This post is one that has taken me a long time to write – not because I didn’t hit my goals – but because I really only enjoyed one of them. I thought I failed because my recipe wasn’t great and didn’t photograph well, and I felt guilty because I did not like the studio I tried – but then I realized something: this is the whole reason I set these goals.
Some months will have more joyous outcomes than others, but every month I’ll get out of my comfort zone, learn something, and try something new. I’m learning to cook (even if some meals are not photogenic or delicious), I’m reading books that will help me grow and develop, and I’m trying new workouts to push myself to work new muscle groups and try things that make me uncomfortable. With that being said, here’s what I was up to in February:
As many of you know, International Women’s Day (IWD) is coming up this week. On Thursday, March 8th, people throughout the world unite in order to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. In addition, IWD marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
As explained on its website, IWD “has been observed since the early 1900’s – a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. International Women’s Day is a collective day of global celebration and a call for gender parity. No one government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women’s network or media hub is solely responsible for International Women’s Day. Many organizations declare an annual IWD theme that supports their specific agenda or cause, and some of these are adopted more widely with relevance than others.”
The theme for this year’s IWD is Press for Progress, a call-to-action designed to help accelerate the statistic that gender parity is over 200 years away. To learn more about the theme, which kicks off March 8th, visit their website, here.
Events will be held world-wide to celebrate, create dialogues and cultivate positive change. And while you can find events for cities across the world on the International Women’s Day site, I’ve created a round-up of some exciting things happening in Chicago.
For those of you who saw my post on my goals for 2018, you know that every month I’ll be reading one new book, learning one new recipe, and trying on new fitness studio. Well, I can proudly say I survived the first month with all my goals still on track, though it did require a lot of last-minute reading (about 70 pages if I’m being honest).
WEST LOOP SOUL 