Lovely humans!
I have heard from a few of you lately via email, Insta DM, blog comments, my new Facebook group, etc. that you are loving the blog a lot lately because you feel like the content is super genuine and authentic & that you can feel my passion and *soul on fire-ness* from behind the screen.
Can I tell you something about that?
Those comments and messages recognizing my happiness and total reignited inspiration bring me to tears. Not like hysterical bawling my eyes out tears, but more like happy welling tears in my eyes because I am so beyond grateful and humbled that you’ve noticed, and that my relatively newfound visions & direction for the blog are being received well by the people who matter most: YOU GUYS.
It’s not that I wasn’t happy before, it’s just that blogging was becoming such a *business* for me.
And as we’ve discussed in the past, I am not a 9-5 kind of girl. I am the most anti-corporate, highly sensitive, free-spirit til the day I die type of individual.
In fact — I was feeling SO overwhelmed by the amount of work I was taking on as a blogger (mainly representing brands and running around to countless events and having the worst insomnia of my life) that I felt like every day I was waking up to run a marathon and didn’t even have time to see my friends and spend time with the people who truly DO set my soul on fire.
It’s not that I didn’t like the brands I was promoting (I did and I still do, and I have always been VERY picky about only representing brands that I feel are totally beneficial to you guys as readers and to myself as a guinea pig) — but I was just doing too much, and I was also letting brands and other people tell me how to do things even when I knew I wanted to do them a different way.
Well, come 2017, that ish has stopped.
I’m doing things my way. And I am really freaking stoked about it.
And I’m not foregoing my partnership paychecks or the ways I am making money… I am still an entrepreneur at heart and really enjoy living the lifestyle that I do.
I’ve just found a different way to make that happen. I’ll tell you how:
This Newfound Me + Newfound Visions //
1. Ever since my Panchakarma, I feel like my passion for wellness has been reignited, and since that is a huge part of my blog… hello, it really has a lot to do with all of this
After my eating disorder and my extremely public battle with orthorexia (and the vegan TBB-haters who wanted to see me dead), I became kind of jaded about “wellness.” I still loved it, was totally into it, but didn’t really understand where I fit into that world anymore. I did the whole marathon running thing, the Ayurveda thing, the HIIT life, the IIFYM dabbles, intuitive eating, blah blah.
I love it all — but I know I am not confined by any of those lifestyles or labels… I’m just ME, and trying out ALL of it has lead me to this very balanced point of understanding that I can take a bit from all of those lifestyles and share THAT with you guys.
Beyond that, I am not even “just me” or “just BALANCED.” I really believe + know that I do have a unique and opinionated view on wellness, and I think I am FINALLY figuring that out after my long road to recovery.
So NOW, I feel like my passion for wellness has been super reinvigorated in many ways. One is that I discovered this whole ketosis amazingness which has been helping my body and brain run so much more efficiently. After all of my hormone-issues post-eating disorder, I was sort of a mess. I was hanging onto weight for dear life even though I was living such a healthy lifestyle — and now, thanks to this KETO LIFE (and the Bulletproof diet, for the most part) and my skin was a mess until I find this keto stuff + Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides.
With my newfound passion + clarity on what works best for me health wise… I am so EAGER and thrilled to share my obsessions & methods with all of you I could burst at the seams! I think that is definitely coming across to those of you who have been reading for a while.
Message me or comment below if you are interested in learning more about ketosis — I have a lot of informational stuff I can send you and we are releasing a PODCAST episode about it tomorrow!!! (Me and da experts Kelly Leveque + Wes Okerson). Use code “thebalancedblonde” as a referral on this site to get cool sh*t and be on my team if you join! Obviously no pressure from me always or ever — I legit am obsessed and want you guys to feel as badass as I do.
2. YOGA & specifically teaching yoga. This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and throughout this 500-hr dedication (of time, soul and energy) with Yogaworks I have never, ever felt so spiritually awakened or in tune with my purpose & what I feel I am mean to be doing and sharing. It’s pretty insane how in touch I’ve gotten with my spirit and everything that means for me.
Also, teaching yoga throughout the week really gets me out of my “work, work, work” computer-blogging bubble / mode and really, really helps keep my soul alive and keeps my social, interpersonal side really nourished and satiated. I NEEDED that.
I was really missing and deeply craving that connection beyond the screen — and to have that in my life on a near daily basis now through teaching has really helped reopen that in every area of my life. I knew I needed to be less of a workaholic, and now I see how helpful dragging myself away from the screen can be FOR my work as well.
YOGA + connecting with likeminded humans = a surefire recipe to make me really ridiculously fucking happy.
3. Learning to let go where I need to: I tried for a long time to do everything. Literally everything. I thought I could save everyone and I thought I had space for EVERYONE — especially those who I felt needed me the most. Now I recognize that I was giving so much of myself without receiving as much as I needed in return, which was resulting in major energy depletion.
I said “yes” to every work opportunity and social opportunity. I also was dedicating so much energy to people who have been in my life for decades (and some for less time, too) who simply weren’t serving my soul anymore the way I really needed and craved for them to.
I had to do what has been harder for me than ANYTHING in the universe… which has been, simply put: to let the fuck go. It was the ONLY way space would get re-opened inside of me to be and do everything I needed to be and do to keep my soul awake and alive and inspired.
I CLEARED the space, did the hard-ass work and what I was seeking landed right on my doorstep (metaphorically in some ways and even literally in others).
Self-care vibes tho.
4. I LEARNED HOW TO SAY NO. I am such a people pleaser… and this goes along with the above, but I didn’t really know how to ask for what I wanted before and make it all clear in a business setting. Now I simply won’t do what I don’t feel is right, even if it burns bridges (whoops, sometimes it has to happen. I try not to get to that point but if so… c’est la vie. #LetThatShitGo)
Now I am REALLY clear with those around me about what I need and want in order for everything on this blog to feel comfortable and organic to me. If it doesn’t fall under my tried and true guidelines, it’s just a no. I will break a contract if I need to, because that’s how important it is to me to keep this space sacred and organic and authentic to my heart and soul.
I know without that sacredness, there is no longevity. And without longevity… I got nothin. I’ve never been looking for a quick fix or a one stop shop: this blog is my life.
It’s me! My soul! Me as a human! How could I ever forego that for a BUSINESS that isn’t fully, fully me?
I created this blog for a reason, because I LOVE sharing from my soul — so WHY WOULD I SHARE anything BUT that?!?!
5. MY PODCAST! — Okay, this one is big. My podcast reignited my soul because I had no idea how deeply and seriously I was craving that VOCAL, AUDITORY connection with you guys. You get to hear these rad and inspirational conversations with game changers in the industry, and I get to interview people who have literally set their souls on fire and who inspire me on an every single day basis. I get to ask the wellness questions of my wildest dreams and feel so deeply supported by YOU GUYS who listen.
Watching my podcast numbers and the download numbers grow has really reignited my passion because while in other platforms and areas my numbers have slowed down or plateaued… the podcast numbers are growing at a rapid and very uphill pace. It’s really fun for me and makes my heart happy because I LOVE to see how things are being received, and clearly this type of authentic connection is well received by you guys.
And because of that, I have been able to restructure my blog and my Instagram accordingly to make them both similarly authentic and interactive like the podcast — which has actually helped EVERYTHING go more rapidly and organically.
It’s. Pretty. Awesome.
Happy, happy!
So yeah, I am REALLY HAPPY. I am happy in my personal life, my yoga life, in my physical body (thanks, KETOS + COLLAGEN + BEEF LIVER + all of these fun giveaways of the sh*t that I love!) and also in this blog and in my connection with all of you. I always, always, always want to share authentically with you guys + keep this space as special, sacred and interactive as it deserves to me.
You guys are always my first priority, and now that I have all of these new wellness vibes I am so excited about from yoga to healthy biohacks… I just feel like I have found my place again. Thank you for bearing with me for all of these years… coming up on four. How freaking special. Love you all.
Thoughts? Have you noticed the authenticity factor or my happiness / inspiration levels? Would love to hear your thoughts.