Hello beauties! I am writing to you from a gorgeous overwater bungalow in Tahiti right now, at the Four Seasons Bora Bora where I’ve been staying all week (a.k.a heaven on earth).

And ahhh, I have never felt so inspired! My entire soul feel like it’s been set on fire and then some.

This week my podcast with the fab Lauryn & Michael Bosstick went live on iTunes, episode 17! Pretty thrilling, especially because Lauryn’s blog is one of the very first that I ever, ever, ever read or followed.

We talk blogging, branding, “networking” (and how much we hate it), the annoyance of Google Analytics (so unnecessary), and so much more.

While I’m in Bora Bora, it struck me that it would be fun to do a post on 20 things you probably don’t know about me.

I know I share a lot of my life with you guys, but there are questions I get asked repeatedly AND fun little tidbits that I know I’ve never shared before — so I thought this would be a cool place to write it all down.

If you have any other questions, leave them below & I will be sure to answer them or do a whole additional ’20 things’ post! 

20 Things About Me //

1. I have a massive, undying obsession with John Mayer. I even remember where I was standing when I heard ‘No Such Thing‘ for the first time. I was 11 years old! I was in my best friend’s mom’s car, and his voice struck me in such a deeply powerful way I knew I’d never be able to get enough of the song. Thank god he’s had so many albums since then, and I’ve seen him live about 3 or 4 times (time for another concert…!), because I still can’t get enough of his voice.

2. I am the youngest of four children, which shouldn’t be surprising to anyone because I’ve been told all my life that I have “youngest child syndrome.” I had a very interesting conversation with my parents yesterday about the fact that I was the only child that really challenged my dad when he would yell at me as a kid… and that I really threw him for a loop with the way he parented because I was so unusually defiant. I think those tendencies have stuck with me into adulthood, because I am not good at taking “no” for an answer. I consider that a good thing.

3. I’m 26. Some people think I am far younger than I am (#thanks!!!) and others think I am older. I sometimes forget my age because I can’t believe how fast the time is going… I still feel like a total kid half the time.

4. I had my first cup of coffee when I was 23! Crazy, right? Now I love coffee so much and drink it so often that I have to wean myself off of it sometimes to give my body a “coffee break.” I have such an addictive personality that I know subconsciously I knew that when I started drinking it, I would never stop. So I waited as long as I could to even taste it!

5. I don’t drink much alcohol, but I am not “sober.” I can’t stand the taste of alcohol, and in my adulthood I have found myself choosing to drink so minimally that most people who know me think I don’t even drink. I don’t consider myself sober, as I do enjoy a cocktail socially every once in a while, but my body is so sensitive it’s not worth it to me to drink more than two drinks and be hungover the next day. Ultimately — LIVING life and each situation to the fullest is the most important to me, and if alcohol is involved… cool. If it’s not… cool.

6. Yoga is my therapy. I also have a therapist, and an Ayurvedic practitioner, and a functional medicine doctor, and I prioritize self-care like crazy. But at the end of the day, rolling out my mat and moving through a sweaty flow can melt away my entire day. No matter what, I feel better (sometimes euphoric — but better if nothing else).

7. My best friends are family to me. I am close with a lot of people, but as far as that next level closeness goes… I believe it is quality over quantity. Friendships and relationships take a lot of work, effort and love, and I don’t half-ass anything. That being said — when a friendship or relationship is right, it doesn’t feel like effort at all. I choose to surround myself with people who I could call in the middle of the night and I know they’d be there, and vice versa. People who GET me. That is hugely important. We all deserve and need to be seen.

8. I love to laugh, more than anything. Those same people who totally get me are the ones that I can laugh with like crazy. Laughing until my abs hurt and there are tears coming out of my eyes is one of my favorite things in the world. I think the world would be a much happier place if we all laughed a lot more. And if you and I have a similar sense of humor — we are going to be fast friends.

9. I am an extroverted introvert. It took me a long time to realize that and even longer to accept it. I thought that because I enjoy being social and love to connect and communicate with people, I must be extroverted. But the truth is, I recharge when I am alone. I need that alone time… and after college, after FOUR straight years of never being alone for maybe more than 20 minutes at a time, I had a lot of unwinding and alone time to catch up on. Now I have found that nice balance, I think, but I still have to work on it every day to make sure I am carving out time for myself.

10. I hate to be criticized. I am a people pleaser. I thought that after I was attacked by the tens and thousands after I stopped being vegan, that I could deal with anything. But these days even the tiniest negative comment (depending on the subject matter) really bothers me — and that’s okay. I am sensitive. I know that for me, the best thing is to deal with the emotions that come up around the negativity, and then let it go.

11. Blogging is my dream job. I know that choosing to be in the public eye by blogging, podcasting, etc. comes with all SORTS of opinions (negative and positive), so I am realistic about it. I know that the positivity of this lifestyle outweighs the negativity for me by far, so I am cool with it. There are always people out there wanting to judge, and I recognize that those people only see a very small snippet of my life. 🙂

12. I love loving people. I also get an adrenaline rush from feeling and expressing that love to people. My friends and family have grown to expect out of the blue love messages and notes from me professing how much I care about them, because sometimes I’m just so overcome with emotion for them I can’t not!

13. I am a total dork. I am very uncoordinated, have zero rhythm, and have a lot of quirks and idiosyncrasies that are… well… me. I think that’s not something that can be translated through photos and videos very well, so you may not know that about me!

14. I barely wear makeup. I have never been into makeup, and finally at the age of 26 I have fully embraced it. I used to get my makeup done a lot for events and photoshoots, and now I realize… that’s not me. I have my own, more bare-faced natural beauty routine and there is a place for that too!

15. I live a label-free life. I am obviously no longer vegan, and even though I love many things about the paleo / bulletproof / ketogenic / Ayurvedic lifestyles, I don’t call myself any of those things. I am ME, and I listen to my body above all else. I wouldn’t tell anyone to eat a certain way ever, because that would risk detaching them from their own body’s cues and desires. I still love being passionate and excited about those lifestyles even if I don’t use the labels!

16. I know every word to almost every Eminem rap. I have never loved a rapper more. He is my JAM. Jonathan (you guys know him from podcast episode 11) is the first person I’ve ever met who knows MORE Eminem songs than I do, and has even introduced me to ones I’ve never heard before. #impressive

17. I am a notorious over-exaggerator. “I am more tired than I’ve ever been in my entire life,” “I am so obsessed with that idea I want to do it right this very second no matter what,” “I am dying from heat exhaustion,” etc. are all very common phrases from me… 😉

18. I am an INSOMNIAC! But you probably know this about me. Melatonin chocolate, late night bath soaks, meditation, yoga and exercise all help with my insomnia immeasurably, but some nights, it’s still there.

19. One of the weirdest things about me is that I can’t say goodbye. Whether it’s a small goodbye or a big one, I am never the first person to hang up the phone or walk away from someone. I prefer a “see you on Friday” and “I love you, so glad we caught up, etc.” versus just HANGING up a phone or walking away from someone. I have a major thing about it.

20. I live for dark chocolate… anything. I for sure eat dark chocolate every day. I have gotten a few messages lately from people who think that because I have been using Keto OS I don’t eat dessert or carbs. I even weirdly have gotten messages from people thinking that I share my full meals every day, when I don’t do anything of the sort.  I want people to understand that seeing bits and pieces of someone’s life on social media does not give them the right to assume anything about what they do or do not eat unless they flat out say it. So I’m saying it now — I love dessert. I eat it every day. I also eat carbs, even if I limit them because my body feels best that way.

There we go!! Would love to hear your thoughts + any q’s you might have. I can’t wait to do a full Bora Bora recap post… or let’s be real, several. HAPPY FRIDAY XO