They’re here!! You guys know that I adore sharing my snaps of my farmer’s market perusals on Fridays, and I’ve been putting up on my Instagram Stories for months now. I got a bunch of you guys asking me to stop putting text over the images or to DM them the original, so they could screenshot the images and use them as phone backgrounds— so naturally, my brain wandered into thinking how I could make this beneficial for everyone and do this right?

I tried finding the exact date of when a bright-eyed 17 year old me moved into my freshman year dorm (a building they affectionately called, "the cinderblock prison" at NYU, back in August of 2008), but I could not find it for the life of me. But I oddly feel like that is rather representative of how life is in NYC-- it flies by all too quickly most of the time. 

Chalk it up to getting older and feeling more of a responsibility to this earth we call my home, but my conscious knew it was time to start changing the way I lived. My endocrine (hormonal) issues with my Hashimoto's were the other major catalysts that made me spring to action to be a more conscious consumer and to clean up my lifestyle. But previously? I had eschewed all the ways to reduce my carbon footprint that I had then deemed too "extreme" and impractical to adopt into my life.

When I look back at all the swaps and practices I've adopted over the past few years, I'm proud at my efforts but I continually realize more changes I can and want make moving forward. For the person just starting out, I know this entire list can seem intimidating, but it's really just about starting. It doesn't matter how small, just begin-- and once those become a naturally effortless part of your routine you don't think twice about, think about the next change you can make.

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...

So as I'm sure you guys know, I moved to Brooklyn almost 3 months ago!

While I was SO excited to move, the actual prospect of moving scared me....

Not only do you have to be concerned about packing and protecting your stuff on the move, there are A LOT of logistics when it comes to moving in NYC. Insurance, permits, elevator reservations (if you have one); it's enough to make your head spin. I know what I'm an expert in and what is valuable for me to be spending my time on, and it is not this😂 I wanted a moving company that was very all-inclusive and it was actually quite hard to find one...

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.

Okay, this one is LONG overdue but it's all good because it's an awesome one. I asked my good friend Jules of the beautiful Om and the City blog to take part in my Women Who Inspire Interview series because this lovely soul is indeed a force of nature that has created a hub of inspiration for women everywhere. And I'm so happy I got to shoot her for this interview, since we're Brooklyn neighbors!

The female entrepreneur community has been an amazing thing to be a part of since I became one, but it became particularly so this year. Meeting, collaborating, and...

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...

Happy Friday, everyone! What a whirlwind of an April it's been-- I'm jetting off again today! This time for one of my best friend's bachelorette party and I get to see a bunch of friends I haven't in quite some time, which will be awesome. And last week, I finally got to meet Sara of @shisodelicious in person, while I was in London! True to both of our predictions, we couldn't stop chatting and stayed up until 2:30am talking. Lately, Instagram might not be my BFF with all the changes, but I am forever grateful to the platform for connecting me with some amazing people I may not have met otherwise, like Sara.

Sara was my first interview for the Women Who Inspire interview series, and I'm excited to pick back up on the series this month! This week we’re jumping back into things with a very special foodie friend of mine, Dale of @thedaleyplate. This interview is a breath of fresh air and unique perspective, so you will want to read this whole thing through for some major inspiration and bosslady vibes...

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...