I'm sure my mother is going to be a little shocked somewhere because I'm about to say the word "period" and "menstrual" and "uterus / vagina" about a million times in this blog post, but that's exactly the point. To little fault of her own, but rather the societal culture around us (particularly in our generation), women's reproductive health and menstrual cycles were never something to be talked about openly without some sense of shame and an "ew gross" attitude around it. Because of these stigmas, I felt the same way and I failed to understand my cycle, my hormones, and my reproductive health in a real way until my mid-twenties.

HOLY CANNOLI have I been waiting several months to share this announcement!

Live 24k's Golden Fuel tins are now available to purchase on FreePeople.com ! 

This new development is exciting in many obvious ways, but it has a special dimension of significance to me in that it feels extremely full circle...

You guys all know how insistent I am on proper sleep and my nightly rituals. I first became a spoiled little child with my favorite silk pillowcase and linen sheets, and then I fell in love with these Pangea Bed copper-infused pillows a few months ago for their support, breathability, and anti-bacterial / anti-microbial properties (hormonal acne will make a girl get OCD about anything dirty touching her face!). So when I started looking into mattresses for my mom, the first place I looked was Pangea Bed, as I knew they had a copper-infused mattress as well--

Struggling with health is not a foreign concept to me. I've had countless sprains, breaks, stitches, 3 concussions, bad allergies, a hip surgery, and an eating disorder. But my Hashimoto's autoimmune disease and journey has been an entirely different animal to live with, for me personally. There are 26 million of you with autoimmune diseases out there, so it is no small crowd. I love the phrase, "autoimmune warrior," as the noun to describe us-- because that is exactly what we are. I'm sharing my story with you today in hopes that anyone who is struggling to find out what is wrong with them, struggling with a new diagnosis, or whatever, can feel a little less alone and a little more hope...

How I start my day is so important to me- having a healthy morning routine in place can totally set the tone for the entire day. Clearer mindset, better mood, and increased productivity are some major benefits you can experience when you have a calmer morning routine established, instead of that frenzied 10 minute rush to get out the door after 5 alarm snoozes that we are all familiar with.

Morning routines are also the perfect opportunity to establish some healthier habits towards a better lifestyle shift. I've written about my 5 easy hacks for a better morning routine, but I wanted to share some specific things I've been doing lately in mine that have made notable differences.

Oh, being an introvert. While I wouldn't trade it for anything, there's no denying that having this type of personality poses for some unique challenges in a world that is more social and connected than ever before. From balancing your own special set of self-care needs with work obligations, not to mention your social life, it can feel like you're constantly struggling in that perilous 5% zone of your battery. It's been a process to learn how to be an introvert in an extroverted world and industry-- and I still don't have it nailed down yet, but I have found things that have helped me thrive.

My last real post was May 10th. That was 74 days, or about 2.5 months ago 😱😳😭

Over 100 client training sessions, 12 freelance photography projects, over 20 blogging events, 3 freelance articles published, about a dozen shoots + collaborations, 1 wedding, 3 Hamptons trips for work (and 1 for fun), my niece's 100 day birthday, yoga in Times Square, furniture selling on craigslist, and finally now packing for my big move tomorrow:

This is all the stuff that happened over that span of 74 days. Given all the exciting things that are happening around here that I cannot WAIT to share with you, I hope you guys will forgive me for my going AWOL. I was absolutely taking on too much with my commitments, and I had to hit the pause button on this in order to create space for the other things and to well, not die.

Read more for announcements, ICYMI, and what to expect on the blog over the next few months:

Dear 아빠 / Daddy,

If this were any other year, I'd be writing you a Father's Day card. But this year is the first year of my life that I am not experiencing a hand cramp from writing in such tiny lettering, trying to fit all my sentiments and gratitude within the never convenient spaces that card-making companies tend to leave.

I've always felt right at home in Paris, more than any other European city I've been to. Perhaps it's the similar energy to that of NYC's, or the attention to detail in all the beautiful design and surroundings that I love so much. Parisians manage to achieve multiple juxtapositions at once when it comes to design: they're super classic with neutrals, but use pops of color the most sophisticated way; they stay minimal with clean lines and classic silhouettes, yet step out of the box with novel flourishes that blend in seamlessly. And everything oozes romance-- not necessarily in the amorous way, but more so in the romance of the everyday, like a little bit of beauty interwoven throughout in plain sight.

Now taking those notes into account, dream up the most quintessentially Parisian boutique hotel, and Le Narcisse Blanc is exactly that in real life. This boutique hotel is a gem that is nestled right between the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides, a mere few blocks from the Pont Alexandre III bridge over the Seine...

First of all, I'm having a bit of whiplash from the disbelief that my trip has already arrived! With all the craziness lately of my life in NYC, this trip totally crept up on me. Now it's time to go off and make some new memories and experience some familiar cities with fresh eyes and see new ones for the first time!

While I contemplated uploading a bunch of pre-scheduled posts for the duration of my trip, I had to stop myself. I haven't taken time away from this space in a very long time, and I need to just cut loose for the time I'm there without worrying about this blog, my baby, back at home. I'm hiring a babysitter, aka this post here, to entertain you guys while I'm gone. Of course you guys should make sure to follow my adventures along on my Instagram if you want up to speed content, but over here in this space, I've rounded up some of my favorite posts in each category-- to keep you busy with reading and growing...

When it comes to understanding ourselves, we tend to stick with what we've known about ourselves or been told about ourselves, rather than thinking about the current reality. 

We like labels. Labels help our brains classify and understand things; psychology research says that upon seeing or hearing something novel, our brains immediately try to categorize it within familiar labels to understand what it is...

Happy Friday, everyone! It finally is starting to feel like spring for real here in NYC, and I couldn't be more thrilled-- of course, it is right as I'm about to jet off for Europe, but still so happy to get a few sunny days coming up. 

Before I head out, I wanted to share one more awesome interview with an amazing woman who inspires! You may have seen her work in Condé Nast Traveler, Wall Street Journal, Travel & Leisure, or Food & Wine, but if not, I'm proud to highlight and introduce a fellow New York creative's work, and who she is on this Women Who Inspire interview series. So happy to introduce Charissa to you guys today, for anyone that has not come across her stunning photos on her Instagram. Charissa is a mom and a NYC-based travel, food, and lifestyle photographer. I love how...

Eating locally has become all the more important to me in the past few years. The more I've gotten educated about nutrition and food practices, the more I've learned what is actually important versus what is just a buzzword. Eating locally has become a bit of a trendy thing, and people lump it into a bunch of healthy buzz words alongside "organic" "all-natural" "plant-based" "non-GMO." Consumers see those words and associate whatever they're buying to be healthy... but that's not exactly true.

Today, I want to share with you guys some things I've learned over the years about eating locally grown produce, and how to navigate those labels so that your dollar actually goes towards what matters and not just marketing speak. My good friend and fellow blogger Jules, of Om and the City, and I teamed up with Gotham Greens to talk about the importance of this and more about their innovative urban farming practices that...

Healthy skincare has been having a MOMENT for the past two years. Women (and men) everywhere are trading in Saturday nights out for Saturday nights in, with sheet masks and green juices because they have to get up at 8am for their Sunday yoga class. Sound familiar?

Everyone is all about caring for their skin as much as possible these days, and that extends from skincare to makeup to internal well-being and care. So after struggling with so many skin issues, I wanted to share my favorite clean skincare and makeup favorites that have made the biggest difference for me, since I know my fellow sweat-tribe can also struggle with this! 

I transitioned over to all-natural clean beauty products awhile ago because some unique issues. After struggling with exhausting autoimmune issues for the past...

Happy Friday, everyone-- hard to believe it's St. Patty's day, and there is a lot of snow still getting cleaned up here in NYC.

I've highlighted 4 amazing women so far on my Women Who Inspire Interview Series, and while we will certainly be returning with quite a few more awesome women to come, I've been stockpiling some amazing finds that I wanted to share before some of them become irrelevant. So, Favorite Friday Finds is back for this week!

9 awesome reads are coming your way + 1 RIDICULOUSLY cute surprise at the end. So either save it for reading over coffee tomorrow morning, or tear through some of the stuff that will make you feel all the feels, and inspire some thought!

I'm a huge advocate of being forward when it comes to your business. It may go against my introvert tendencies sometimes, but as an entrepreneur or a small business owner, you are essentially your only advocate. If you don't drive your business's train, it just doesn't move. 

When you are trying to create a business or further your career, you can't be complacent and wait for opportunity to come to you. You have to get out there, and yes, that tired word: network. Cold-emailing and asking people for a breakfast meeting or to coffee can be intimidating, because no one likes to be ignored or rejected right?

Well, that chance of rejection is always still there. But today I'm going to help you guys boost your chances at getting responses from people, as well as covering THE most important thing when cold-emailing someone: HOW you ask them. These are absolute musts when cold-emailing, pitching, or asking someone to meet over coffee.

You know that feeling when you are looking for something in your coat pockets, only to discover that there's a crisp $20 bill in there from last year? Yep, it was that same feeling I had after searching for some photos on my hard drive and found some gems I never shared from my Europe trip to Switzerland and Italy two summers ago. I've shared one or two of these on few on my city travel guides to Zürich (hike on Felsenegg-Uetliberg) and Rome, but I also just re-edited these photos in the vibes of the aesthetic palettes I've been drawn to lately-- more muted colors and softer shades. 

Am working on some fun content for you guys, but it's been a busy week over here with a photoshoot yesterday (check out some sneak peeks on Instagram!), training sessions, and some apartment-hunting. So today, I'm just going to leave you to soak up these wanderlust-inspiring handful of favorites I found the other day. Take a trip to Zürich, up in the Swiss mountains, Roma, Positano, and Amalfi. Happy humpday!

Happy Friday, everyone! 

Today, I'm so so SO excited to launch this interview series that I've been cooking up for you guys for several weeks now. As a biweekly complement to my Favorite Friday Finds that is every other week, on the other Fridays I will be sharing an interview with a woman who inspires...