Reflections on 30

Earlier this month I celebrated my birthday. It was the end of 30 and the beginning of 31 for me.

To be honest, until a few days before, I wasn’t very excited about it. In fact, I was actually dreading it a bit. That’s because my mind was focused on all the goals I haven’t yet reached, all the dreams I haven’t yet accomplished, and all the projects I haven’t even started.

A few days before my birthday, I took some time to look back on my 30th year of life and take stock of not only everything I did accomplish, but also everything I’ve been through in the past year and that I’ve come through on the other side.

So many highlights have to do with the project that occupied most of my time this year - Toby & Mikka’s, the healthy treats (for dogs and cats) brand I’ve been building alongside my brother: from launching new products like our Sample Packs and our line of Barks with Turkey, to doing several collaborations with other, more established brands in the pet industry, to getting so many kind words and positive feedback from our clients - there’s been so much goodness in this part of my life

After years of debating with myself (yes, really!), I finally launched a separate Instagram account focused on health and well-being, and have been enjoying creating content for it. It’s been a little quiet in the last few weeks, but there will be so much to share in the months to come.

I also had some exciting wins in the kitchen: I made chocolate hummus for the first time ever, which turned out absolutely delicious, and, after years of trying different versions, I finally found the perfect pesto recipe too

I finished knitting my second ever pair of socks, enjoyed wearing my first pair all throughout winter and spring, and started two more projects (a winter sweater and a summer tank top)

I discovered a couple of apps that have made a big difference for me: the Notion app, which has become my go-to tool for getting my mind and life organized, and the Overdrive app, which has helped me start rebuilding a regular reading habit.

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What’s more, this all happened during a year that included a pandemic and countless heartbreaking news, as well as plenty of challenges, changes and hardships for my own family, which is helping me to appreciate it all even more.

This exercise has helped me feel so much better about my 30th year of life, to get excited about the brand new year ahead of me, and to really enjoy celebrating this moment in time.

I hope that if you too feel stuck, unsatisfied or unsure about the last week, month, or even year of your life, you can take a moment and really look back through that period of time, to find the positives - the accomplishments, the wins, and the steps forward - because they really are there, however big or little they may be, even when things feel particularly hard, scary or uncertain. 

So tell me, what’s been the highlight of the last month for you?

Taking Stock // March 2020

March started out like any regular month, with a long list of goals to work towards and tasks to get done but then, just a few days in, a worldwide health crisis erupted, and none of those things seemed to matter anymore. I spent a couple of weeks just trying to make sense of what is unfolding, but throughout it all, one thought kept coming up in my mind - that, even in the darkest times, light is still present. In other words, even when things feel particularly hard and scary, as they have for many of us, there is still plenty of good to be found as well. 

In that spirit, here are a few of the things I want to remember about March 2020: 

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making lemonade out of the oversized bucket of metaphorical lemons that this month served us

 

cooking lots of brussels sprouts; we found them at a great price and stocked up on 10 pounds of them (yes, really!), so I made this recipe several times - that marinade makes all the difference (I make 4-5 times the amount recommended, use most of it on the brussels sprouts, and save the rest for other dishes) and the sprouts come out so juicy - I love eating them both hot & cold

drinking so much water (I really notice when I get out of the habit, whether it's getting a headache, my skin being dry - especially with all the hand washing - or feeling low on energy, so I'm making it a priority every day) and trying out some orange peel and fennel tea too, inspired by Olivia’s post & stories on Instagram (check out her immuniTEA highlight too for more ideas and options of ingredients to add into this tea)

reading The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin, and starting to figure out how to work best for my own tendency

enjoying all the sunshine - we’ve gotten quite a bit of it throughout the month, and it just doesn’t get old; I guess if there’s a silver lining to these long winters, it’s how much I notice and truly appreciate the light and sunshine during the rest of the year

waiting eagerly for spring to arrive - and thankfully it did! We had temperatures above zero almost exclusively for the second half of the month, and by the end, most of the snow had melted - which doesn’t seem like much, but it definitely is in our area. Usually, in March, we still have several feet of snow left, so this early start is pretty unexpected but so welcome

loving Notion; I found out about it from Michelle’s video and decided to try it out. I started out using her Life Dashboard template and have been slowly adjusting it to fit my own needs ever since

needing some time to find a new normal, like most of us, I’m sure; once things started getting serious around the middle of the month, I really had a hard time focusing on, well, practically anything, and perhaps as an involuntary “survival” mechanism, disconnected from my goals and dreams - it wasn’t until the end of the month that I started finding my focus again

smelling spring flowers - these beautiful hyacinths and daffodils that my mom and I received for Women’s Day - and getting excited about seeing the ones in our front yard pop out of the ground in just a few weeks

watching our favourite TV shows on the weekend; everyone in our family is on such different schedules now, that there’s just no way we can keep up with most of our favourite shows as they first air on weekday evenings, so it’s become the perfect excuse to sit down together on Saturday afternoons and catch up with them after doing some work around the house

knowing that, among all the hard and scary, there is still plenty of good around too - and leaning in to that as much as I possibly can

feeling like myself again; to say the last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions would be an understatement, but after feeling unfocused and disconnected for most of the month, by the end, I started to get a sense of normalcy again

bookmarking all the positive quotes and reminders on Instagram - like this wise quote about gratitude, this helpful approach for dealing with overwhelm and this collection of positive news amongst all the heartbreaking ones

listening to a few episodes from two of my favourite podcasts, The Perfectionism Project (this one helped me start writing and documenting again) and Grow with Soul (this one shared a refreshing perspective on tracking & using numbers in our businesses)

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Tell me, besides the health crisis and social distancing, what's standing out in your mind from March?

Taking Stock // September 2019

September went by in the blink of an eye, though I can't say I mind it. For much of it, I was dealing with lots of fear, self-doubt, and other heavier feelings like these. That being said, I still managed to enjoy some of what this month had to offer. Here are a few things that stuck in my mind:

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cooking with our own vegetables - it just never gets old; we haven't had the best season in the garden, mainly due to the extra long and cold spring weather, but we've still picked plenty of zucchinis and green beans, cucumbers, and some tomatoes too

drinking a mug of mint tea (most often picked from our own garden!) at least once a day, but most likely two or three times a day - I can't get enough of it, and now that the weather is really cooling down, even just holding the warm cup in my hands is so soothing

hoping the snow doesn't come our way too soon, even though it's already snowed in other parts of Canada and the temperatures have been dipping into the single digits several times already

enjoying writing again

loving these apples from our own tree; although we've been living in this house for over 8 years now, and the apple tree has always been here, this is only the second year we get to eat apples from it. They're not the prettiest, as they get attacked by bugs throughout the summer, but they're so tasty

smelling the aroma of holy basil that we grew in the garden this summer; it was the first time we planted holy basil, and when the flowers bloomed, it caught me completely by surprise that they smell like bubblegum!

watching some of the new shows that have started airing this fall - there are a few good ones, but Bob Hearts Abishola and Stumptown seem to be the highlights for me so far

noticing all the flowers that are still blooming; perhaps it's the long winters and grey days that come with them, but seeing the beautiful flowers growing around our house and everywhere I go makes me so happy; knowing that they won't be around much longer this year makes spotting them even sweeter

feeling lighter after a period at the end of summer that felt particularly hard and stressful

giggling at all of Toby & Mikka's antics; they really do make life so much better

listening to Taylor Swift's new music - I can't help it! Lover, Daylight, and London Boy are definite favourites for me from her new album, and this rendition of Holy Ground is so beautiful too

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When I started writing these, I had no idea they would be so garden-centric, but this little space of ours really is such an uplifting place, no matter what else is going on outside of it. There's something really special about helping a tiny seed grow into a much bigger plant, that's not only beautiful to look at, but that we also get to eat and enjoy on our plates too. I'm glad that so many of my happy memories from this month revolve around it.

Tell me, how was your September?

Taking Stock // Summer 2018

cooking veggies from our garden - one of the best parts of summer each year, no doubt. To be able to cook and eat something we've grown with our own hands, from a tiny seed to a delicious vegetable - it just never gets old  

drinking smoothies every morning; it's become such a simple and wonderful way to start the day, and I had a lot of fun finding ways to capture snippets of it every morning for a week, and sharing them on Instagram. Now they all live in a story highlight on my profile, titled, "Smoothie ❤️"

reading Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill*, and learning so much. I've heard about this book so many times before, and can't believe it's taken me until this summer to dig in

playing in the pool with Toby. We only got 2 or 3 weekends of pool time, but they were so sweet. We saw Toby get more comfortable in the water and swim at a really relaxed pace - and learned how that relaxed feeling instantly goes away as soon as someone else wants to get in the pool...

enjoying getting organized with Asana

waiting to get approved for an application my brother and I had been working on since February, for a new business we're starting together; the wait was finally over mid-August and since then, we've been going full speed ahead, getting our equipment, setting up our space, building relationships, and taking so many more little and big steps to move this new venture forward. It's something I'm really excited and optimistic about, and looking forward to sharing more details about soon

loving the sunshine and hot weather, of course! We had a really hot summer and, after last year's particularly cool one, I appreciated it even more than I usually do, despite the several heatwaves that kept us mostly inside the air-conditioned house for days

needing more hours in the day, or maybe some more helping hands... or both? Between working on the new business with my brother as well as my health coaching practice, trying to keep up with our vegetable garden (and not doing so well most of the time), and preparing for a big overseas trip my parents went on in July, our plates were full all summer long - and, to be honest, they only seem to be getting fuller this autumn too. Thankfully, they're filling up with things I absolutely love, so there is no complaining here

wearing whatever kept me cooler in the heat of the summer - most of the time, a uniform of shorts and tank tops (ha, I guess some things really do stay the same...while looking through old posts after writing the first draft of this post, I was a bit amused to notice this seems to be my hot weather uniform - it's exactly what I wrote about wearing during a hot spell last September too)

watching quite a bit of tennis. Between the Roland Garros and Wimbledon tournaments at the beginning of summer and the US Open in the beginning of September, as well as a few smaller tournaments in between, I couldn't get enough tennis! Of course, this only made me want to get back on a tennis court, racket in hand, that much more...and I'm still looking for ways to make that happen

feeling that back-to-school feeling and, even though I'm not going back to school this year, feeling almost like I am actually taking part in it somehow because, just like a new school year, working on new projects and buckling down to work feels like a similar kind of new beginning

listening to more podcasts than I have in a long while; some favourites have been The Perfectionism Project, Grow with Soul, and Money Making Maven.

dreaming of overseas trips

celebrating so much: birthdays (mine and my mom's), anniversaries (of moving to Canada, of moving in this particular house), receiving funding and taking steps forward with our businesses, and so much more; summer always feels like a new beginning to me, almost as much as January (but with more colour and daylight hours), and this year, that feeling was amplified thanks to everything that's been happening in my life and work.

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This summer has been a busy but full and exciting season and, although I'm not thrilled about the dropping temperatures, I'm feeling more hopeful about the rest of the year - and beyond - than I have in quite a while.

I'd love to know, how has your summer been? What stands out in your mind as a highlight of this (already past!) season?


*Disclaimer: The book link used in this post is an affiliate link.

A Hopeful Start

We're halfway through February already. At times, I can't decide if it feels like both the blink of an eye or a lifetime away since the clock struck midnight on January 1st. For once though, I can say that so much change - both inner and outer - has been happening in my life during these first few weeks of the year, that I'm feeling quite hopeful.

I didn't start 2018 in the best way, actually. For the first couple of weeks, I was incredibly stressed out, and quite ill. To begin with, I was facing some difficult situations and decisions that I wasn't looking forward to at all. Then, although I tried my best to resist the nasty flu that made its way through my family right after the holiday break, it eventually knocked me down for a whole week!

Thankfully, as the flu slowly but surely moved out of my body, somehow so did the stress I was experiencing. The shift started unexpectedly, with listening to a podcast episode that pulled me out of my thought process at the time and helped me consider the situation from a different perspective. That was followed by the lucky timing of some incredibly supportive conversations that happened very closely together, and plenty of reflection time while ill. It was also, of course, backed up by all the personal growth work I've been doing over the last couple of years. And so, I felt myself coming out of this really hard period I've been in, and now I feel stronger than I have in years, maybe ever.

I've listened to advice about how change starts from within for so long, and the past few weeks have been such satisfying confirmation of that. It doesn't mean that the challenging situations that were causing my stress have disappeared. In fact, if I were to look at them from the same perspective I had only a couple of months ago, I could say that they've gotten even more challenging.

This is why I'm so proud to be in this position, and to have the mindset I do right now, that allows me to keep going every day. It's because I know that whatever change has taken place has nothing to do with external factors. Rather,  it's a result of the work and effort I've put in throughout the last couple of years, to grow and to build myself up, and it feels so good to see clearly how far I've come.

I have many more things to say these days, and I want to show up in this space more consistently, to share what I'm learning, experiencing, and overcoming. For now though, I'll stop here, simply by saying that I'm feeling more energized, motivated, and excited by what's ahead than I've been in a very long time. I have a good feeling about 2018.

Taking Stock // September 2017

September was a hard month for me. Not only did it absolutely fly by (even more than other months!), but all throughout it, I struggled to stay positive, to see the big picture, and to get things done. All the little (and big) things that are not going well in my life took up so much space in my head that there was almost none left for the good, the fun, and the happy. Of course, I know the hard is never the whole story, and I don't want to write off September 2017 as terrible, so I thought that taking stock of the simple, everyday things that did bring me joy would be a nice way to say goodbye to this month.

And so, my September days were filled with...

making placemats; I finally finished the first knit herringbone placemat I've been working on for a while now. Time to cast on the second one!

cooking hummus; I use the basic recipe from Ella's first cookbook* and add whatever flavours I or my family want to try at that time. A couple of weeks ago, I whipped up two batches: one with roasted onions and one with artichoke hearts, and just yesterday (even though, technically, it wasn't September anymore) another two: one with roasted hot peppers and one with roasted sweet peppers 

drinking mint tea; I struggled with some bloating and general stomach issues throughout August, and it wasn't until a particularly uncomfortable day in the beginning of September that I thought of having some mint tea to help my digestive system. Thankfully, I felt much better before I even finished my first cup and since then, I've been enjoying a cup of hot mint tea often in the evenings

reading little bits of different books, though I have to confess, I didn't make time to really curl up with a book all month

hoping for better days ahead

playing lots and lots of Sudoku; it's become my go-to pastime in the evenings, or anytime during the day, when my brain feels a bit fried. I try to use the Sudoku book I have so I can get a break from my computer screen, but if I'm being honest, most often I play this online version - and recently switched from the medium to the hard level, which is really challenging me 

loving my pets; the guilt that I'm not giving them enough attention is almost constant, but when I do take the time to cuddle them, I almost instantly feel so much better

needing a break and some quiet time, stat

smelling autumn in the air

wearing tank tops and shorts again during that week-long hot spell at the end of the month

watching a bunch of TV show season premieres; I've already mentioned this before, but I'm partial to sitcoms, and I've been looking forward to new episodes of The Big Bang Theory and the new Young Sheldon all summer long, and they definitely didn't disappoint. A little more surprisingly, I also enjoyed the first episode of The Good Doctor

noticing how much less patient and more irritable (i.e not myself) I am when I don't take time for myself to be quiet, to reflect and to daydream (#introvert)

knowing that this too shall pass

feeling generally down, but also a slight and slow shift upwards

bookmarking quite a few interesting, thought-provoking and perspective-shifting blog posts, many of which will be included in my next RLL post, coming soon

giggling through reruns of Mike & Molly during lunchtime every once in a while

wanting to slow things down

listening to as little as possible; I'm in this mood where it feels like there's so much noise and sound around me constantly, that whenever I can get a little quiet time, I am loving it

pondering over how I can make room for more fun and play in my life

considering new options, things I haven't tried yet, and alternatives that I know will take me outside my comfort zone

buying mostly groceries and not much else

thinking too much; spending too much time in my head and not being able to drop fully into my body and just be present in the moment

dreaming about a better future, always

celebrating 2 years since I quit my full-time job; things haven't turned out as I hoped and dreamed (yet), but I know that if I had to make that same choice again, I would - even if sometimes, on particularly hard days, I question it for a second

Thankfully, it's October now. A new day, a new week, a new month. It's the ultimate fresh start and I'm already feeling much better and more hopeful. I'm looking forward to the month ahead and feeling excited about all the possibilities - after all, there are always so many.

How about you, are you ready to say goodbye to September and hello to October?

*Disclaimer: The book link used in this post is an affiliate link.

The Time Between

So much has happened since I last updated this space, I can't quite believe it. I start every week with the best of intentions to put more time and love into this blog, yet somehow it keeps slipping through the cracks. Often, it really does feel like time flies by, even though I don't like to say it or think of it that way (mostly because I think it's up to us how much we fill our days, and whether we take time to be present). So, to help "slow down" time a little bit, I thought I'd look back for a second, and take stock of some of the things that have happened since the end of May:

I turned 28 mid-June and enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing day to celebrate. The best part of it for me was, no doubt, sweating through the warmest day of the year until then. There's just something about sunshine and hot weather that makes me really happy.

This blog turned 7 years old (!!!) which might be the most incredible thing of all. My life has changed in so many ways during this time, and I kind of love that the blog has been a constant through it all. I admit that, looking back through the archives, I kind of wish I had documented more of what took place (both with and around me), which is a big reason why I'm still trying to show up here consistently.

I started working with a marketing and mindset coach who is helping me break through some of my limiting beliefs and take steps forward in my business. As a coach myself, I can't believe it took me this long to recognize how valuable a (great) coach would be for my business. Thankfully, once I did realize it, I stumbled on the opportunity to work with my current coach within a few days.

I met one of my online friends in real life, which was easily one of the highlights of this summer for me.

I struggled with navigating tough times and keeping a positive mindset through it all, but eventually found several ways to focus on the good most of the time and not let the bad affect me as much. This doesn't mean that every day is sunshine and rainbows now, or that I no longer have bad days. It simply means that I've been consciously working every single day on myself to cultivate a positive mindset, with good results. 

I explored a few parks from our part of the world and really enjoyed hiking the trails with my family, including our pup Toby.

I've stayed inside, busy at my computer, for too many days, and forgot or neglected to take time to enjoy the sunshine. The good news is, there's still a bit of summer left, and a few more weeks to appreciate this favourite season of mine.

Tell me, what has your summer been like so far? What are you still looking forward to this season?

Life Currently // May 2017

It's been a while since I last shared regularly on this blog, but lately I've been thinking more and more about it, and itching to make it a bigger part of my life again. I do have some ideas for posts, but it seems that I've gotten so out of the habit of actually sharing those ideas that, every time I open a new blank post to start writing, my mind goes blank too. So, I thought I'd start simply for now, with a little snapshot of what life looks like these days:


cherishing all the short periods of sunshine in between the clouds and pouring rain

smiling every time I take a peek at the daffodils and hyacinths in our front yard (so happy that it's finally that time of the year again!)

getting back to daily morning walks around the neighbourhood with the pup

trying hard to get into the habit of working out regularly

working on two knitting projects at once: a pink scarf that keeps my hands busy on evenings when my mind is tired after a long day, and a set of placemats that is the perfect excuse to learn a new stitch

staying organized with the Bullet Journal system, and feeling thankful to have found a way to wrangle all the thoughts that are constantly swimming through my mind

making progress on the content I am planning and creating behind-the-scenes for my health coaching website, and looking forward to sharing it with everyone who is ready to start being proactive and taking charge of their health and wellness

feeling excited about new work projects, especially a potential new collaboration with a fellow coach I've really been enjoying connecting with over the last few months

watching loads of Instagram Stories and losing track of time a little too often

dreaming of seeing more of this world, in no small part thanks to all that time spent watching Instagram stories


Well, that about covers most of the things that I'm spending time on and thinking of right now. I'd love to know, what's going on in your life these days?

New and Better

This week, after much procrastination, I finally started working on my health coaching website again. I originally launched it last March, as a very simple version with just 4 basic pages. It served me well for a while, but last fall I started developing my vision for what I wanted it to become, and realized that the simple site I had was no longer going to work, so I started researching, planning, and mapping out my vision, as well as creating content for it.

The first version of my health coaching website

Of course, since the actual website makeover is not something I know much about, I've been avoiding actually making the transition for some time now. Well, I finally got myself to start working on it this week and so far, I've really been enjoying the process. It's been very different from the first time around, when I was stressed for the most part - it was quite the learning curve working with Wordpress for the first time!

I found a new theme to use, the drag-and-drop kind that is much more user-friendly for someone like me who doesn't know much about web design, that I'm very happy with but that also means that I am basically starting from scratch again. Despite that, and thanks to everything I've learned in the past year and all the research I've done to prepare for this, I'm actually feeling more excited than stressed this time around. Besides working on the design, I'm also re-organizing the content that was already there, and adding more - there will be a blog too from now on, along with some other new sections I've cooked up.

A tiny sneak peek behind-the-scenes 

I'll be sharing more updates and news about the re-launch through my newsletter

My vision for this website is to not only be a place where someone who would like to work with me can find more information about me and the services I offer, but also a resource for all of us who want to change the way we approach our health, to make it a priority and the first step in the journey towards our big dreams, whatever they may be.

I'm so happy to finally be turning all those ideas in my head into something real, but even more so, I'm hopeful that what I'm creating will help people stay healthy and feel their best, so they can go after their big dreams fearlessly.

I'd love to know, what do you think about health coaching? Are you familiar with it? Is it something you'd be interested in trying?

The Things I Find

For the last couple of weeks, I have been at a bit of a loss for what to write in this space. It's ironic since, for the longest time, I had plenty of ideas and not enough time to create them, but now that I've made more space for blogging in my life, all those ideas seem to have dissipated into thin air.

The truth is, ever since I started this blog, I set a goal for myself to have the majority of the content be original. I left some room to share the works of others that inspire me, but they were always meant to be sparse. The wrinkle in this plan is that most of my time is currently spent behind a computer screen, reading, learning, planning and working on a business or other, but not as much creating, experiencing, or taking pictures of things and moments that I could share here.

Thinking of this, I realized that there is a big part of my life that I haven't been sharing, but I would like to. It's a part that not only takes up a considerable amount of time and space in my life, but one that I absolutely love, and that makes me the person I am. I simply wouldn't be me if I didn't spend as much time researching, reading, and learning about all the things I'm passionate about or that interest me at some point or another. It's how I understand and make sense of the world. So, I thought I'd start sharing more of the things - thoughts, ideas, articles, books, and so much more - that I come across through my never-ending need to learn.

It won't be my original content, but it will be my (respectful) take on that of others, which I suppose makes it original in its own way. Not only that, but it feels like every day I come across so many things that change my perspective, make me think and grow, and become a (hopefully) better version of myself, that I thought there could be great value in sharing them here too, for the chance that it will have a similar effect on somebody else.

With that in mind, I'll be back soon, sharing more of my own life and of the things that I find and learn from.

Start Over

After some wonderful time off with my family over the holidays and a reluctant restart to the work routine last week, we are now well rooted into the new year.  My hope is that we fill these next 12 months with plenty of fun, kindness, health and happiness. Welcome 2016!

Wellness List

I thought it was time I talked about my newsletter. This is something that has been on my mind for probably close to a year now. Through taking the IIN and B-School courses, I learned that newsletters are not only great tools to reach the potential customers or clients of any business I create, but also wonderful ways to connect with people about the things I'm most passionate about in a more personal way.

That being said, ever since then, I have been procrastinating on actually starting to send out newsletters, mainly because I had no idea what I would put in them. I did make the small first step of signing up for Mailchimp and placing a sign-up form in the right sidebar a few months ago, but not much progress happened since. Not practically anyway. I have, however, given this topic a lot of thought, and I've finally settled on something I'm happy with and excited about. As always, I have big plans for the future, but for now, I'm mainly looking forward to sharing some short personal updates from a wellness perspective, along with resources that I wish I'd known about along my health & wellness journey in the last few years. I will also be launching my health coaching services soon, and sharing my progress and availabilities there as well.

The way I see it, the difference between this blog, which I consider very personal as well, and a newsletter is that, for the latter, people choose to share their email address with me, likely because they are interested in the same things that I am on a greater scale than someone who may have stumbled across the blog through other links or Google searches. From being a subscriber to several newsletters myself, I know that sharing my e-mail address and allowing people into my inbox is a big deal, and I don't take it lightly.

So, if you think this is something you'd love to be a part of and you'd like to receive occasional emails from me, I'd love to have you join my wellness list!

As a heads up, I thought it would be helpful to mention that, if you do sign up, you should expect the emails to come from "Ana, Summer June Wellness" (my health coaching practice) rather than "Ana, The Summer of June" (this blog).

Photo via Death To The Stock Photo

5 Years Later: My Thoughts on Blogging

5 years ago, I started this blog. That day feels just like yesterday and also like a million years ago. So often now, I can't even remember life without blogging. I remember life before my own blog, because most of my time was spent reading other blogs; I remember the first blog I ever read, Emily's Cupcakes and Cashmere, and if I were to go back through her archives, I'd probably remember the first posts I ever read too. But if you ask me what I did with my time before I discovered the blogging world, that is where things get a little blurry - I'm pretty sure there was some more TV time and plenty of online time (that is how I discovered blogs after all), but the specifics tend to be a little lost on me. 

To say that discovering this world was life-changing for me wouldn't even begin to describe it. So much of how I spend my time these days has to do with something I've discovered through other blogs or through my own blogging journey.

For my whole life, I struggled with figuring out what I wanted to do once school was over. I loved school because I loved learning and not because it was a step towards building some sort of career. Learning was my passion, so I couldn't even imagine what I would do when that chapter of my life was going to be over. Thinking about the future and careers was always a huge stress point.

In retrospect, I realize that all the stress was because I hadn't found my calling yet. When I discovered blogs, it felt like I arrived home, like I finally found a place where I could fit in, where I felt comfortable. I truly think that is because the blogging world is not at all about fitting in (at least to me) but rather about celebrating differences, and in a beautiful, twisted way, that is what brings us together. At the time, I hadn't found that feeling in any career path I had considered. Sure, there were things I found interesting and that seemed like something I would enjoy doing, but the thought of doing them for the rest of my life terrified me.

That said, when I first found blogging, I didn't think about it as a career path. It was, more than anything else, something that I felt could really let me express myself, my creativity, and be fully and unapologetically me. Sure, having Cupcakes and Cashmere as my very first blogging inspiration, which was already a couple of years into its existence and gaining quite a bit of success, the thought of eventually making blogging into more than just a hobby was there, in the back of my mind, from the very beginning.

This shaped the way I wrote my posts and the way that I still do, as if a great number of people are reading them, even if that was and now, 5 years later, still is so far from the truth. That is because one of the main reasons that pushed me to start my own blog, beyond the opportunity to express myself, was the prospect of creating connections with people from around the world, of creating a community that valued the same things that I did and still do. I couldn't find those people in real life, and blogging helped me to realize that it wasn't because I was just an odd kid unlike anyone else, but rather that those people may be further out into the world. Writing and creating in this space had the potential to help me connect with them.

If I had to sum up all those feelings I had about blogs at the beginning of my own journey with them, it would be that blogging opened up my whole world. And it happened in a time when I needed it most, when a few years after moving to a new country with just my parents and my brother and leaving behind everyone and everything else I knew, I still felt very lonely. When I am engaged in blogging, whether that is writing posts, reading other blogs or doing anything else related to them, was and still is the time when I don't feel at all lonely, when I feel like I belong.

Now, 5 years later, those same feelings hold true. The thought of making this blog into more than just a hobby is still in the back of my mind, I am still working on growing and nurturing a supportive community around those same values that I know so many others share, and I still approach every blank new post page with the same mix of excitement and nervousness that I always did.

That doesn't mean I haven't had my share of struggles with blogging along the way: I've stressed over comments, visitors and monthly pageviews like I'm sure all bloggers have done at some point, and I've even thought of giving it up for a second - before realizing what a crazy thought that would be! Through it all, I managed to find my own take on blogging, and right now I'm feeling very positive about it.

I've freed myself of all the pressures to follow along with the trends, to post every day, to be active on all possible social media channels at all times of the day, and to compare my blog to any other ones out there. I've decided instead to enjoy my time blogging and to make it an experience that adds value and joy to my life rather than tension and stress. And because of that, I can honestly say that, 5 years in, I feel like I'm jut beginning and I don't intend to stop anytime in the foreseeable future. I hope that you enjoy this space as much as I do, and that you'll keep coming back to join me in this journey to living green, healthy and well.

Happy 5 years, The Summer of June!

Clear Skies Ahead

Literally and figuratively. Although we are anticipating some rain intermittently throughout this week (and the rest of the season, I'm sure), the tendency is towards warmer, sunnier and longer days. Similarly, I've felt that my life is slowly heading in the right way, towards the vision that I've had for many years and that has gotten so much clearer in the last few weeks. Just like the changing of the seasons, I am aware that the process will be slow and gradual and yes, I am expecting some rain (read: setbacks) along the way but now, unlike any other time before, I'm feeling so much more confident about this path.

In more concrete terms, over the last few weeks I have been following the B-School course by Marie Forleo and it's been such an eye opening experience. Beyond clarity, this course has given me so many tools to help me grow my business and to go after my dreams that now, unlike before, not only do I have the vision for the future but also an action plan with steps I need to take to get me there. I now know what changes I need to make to this site for better design, navigation, and functionality; I know how and when to send my upcoming newsletter and what to include in it; I am much more aware of my mission with this blog and all the other aspects of my business; I am committed to sharing so much more over here than I have until now. And this is not all; there is so much more on the pipeline. But most importantly, I know that, slowly - as time permits - I will make it all happen.

In addition to the lessons from B-School, I'm putting into practice what I've learned at IIN as well (if you'd like to chat about health and wellness with me, please make sure to get in touch), I'm building an online yarn shop that I am more and more proud of, and I'm talking regularly with like-minded people. I truly feel like this is the time when many good things are converging and helping me build momentum towards something especially good. Of course, there is so much more still to figure out, but I feel like I am finally getting a good start towards my dreams - sunshine and warm weather are helping too.

I'd love to know, where are you on the road to following your dreams? Please let me know in the comments below.

The Beginning of Something New

For the last five or six months, on the side of my full-time job (and of studying to become a health coach), I've been working on something new and really special along with my family: a new business called Josephine Yarns. It is an online shop where we sell yarns for knitting, crocheting and all sorts of other handmade projects. To stay true to what I (and we) believe in the most - a beautiful, healthy and sustainable world - the yarns that we are stocking are all in some way natural, organic, and/or sustainable.

The shop is not quite ready yet, as there are still a few details to iron out. It's been quite a long-winded process so far - certainly much longer than we had initially hoped and wanted - but we are slowly inching our way towards opening day. I wanted to share the news here now regardless because I've learned an important lesson during these last few months: sometimes it's better to reveal works-in-progress and allow people to root for you along the way and take part in the experience as it is unfolding (with both successes and setbacks alike) than to keep everything under wraps in hopes of having a pleasant surprise later on. Though I generally tend to do the latter, I've learned throughout this process how much pressure it can build up, and for me, it got to a point where it was causing quite a few tense moments and where I just couldn't move forward anymore. Only once I started to accept help and to talk about what I was working on as I was working on it, things started to turn around and progress more quickly. Even though it might ruin the surprise at the end, having another (or a few) ear and perspective during the million little and big decisions that need to be taken is so much more valuable.

Now, the excitement is building up, and though I'm realizing that I have absolutely no idea what running this new venture will actually look like, I'm ready to let it happen and start the journey. It wasn't planned this way, but I can't help thinking how wonderful it is that the beginning of a new year will be the beginning of a new chapter as well.

IIN: The Halfway Point

Not long ago I passed the halfway mark of my IIN experience. I decided it was time to write about it all, but I've been sitting here trying to come up with the right words and I'm not sure that I could sum it all up in just a few of them.

20 weeks is a long time: it's 20 modules of learning material, hundreds of hours of audio, video and written content, so many new (to me) and important faces and voices to remember from the health community and just as many opinions about the right way of eating.

With almost every speaker that I listen to, he or she becomes my new favourite and I want to remember every detail of what they said. I feel my mind expanding every week and with every speech, and I get so much pride in knowing that I am a (minuscule) part of this inspiring worldwide community.

As wonderful as it has been, I can't say that it's been an easy experience - after all, Mr. Rosenthal, the founder of the school, advises us to treat it like medical school! My beliefs and points of view on nutrition have been challenged on more than a few occasions. At times, I even felt the need to take a break so I can wrap my head around what I had just learned and figure out how it fits into my own views on nutrition. In those moments, I'm reminded of one of the main principles of this school, the principle of bio-individuality, which says that one person's medicine can be another person's poison, which I know for myself to be true, and that is how I gain perspective once again.

But this school has been about so much more than nutrition, and it's been that part of it that I think has been and will continue to be the biggest learning point for me. My shy and introverted self has been encouraged and nudged to connect with peers, to learn how to communicate in meaningful ways with future clients and with people in general (which, surprisingly enough, has more to do with proper listening than actual talking) as well as how (and why!) not to push my own views and preferences on them. Thankfully, many of these things are included in the graduation requirements. I say thankfully because if they weren't required, I would have likely found a way to skip them. I know that this is the part of the school that is challenging me the most and that I have to work on the most, but I also know that it is what will help me grow the most - personally, professionally and any other way possible.

I'm looking forward to whatever the second half of this program will bring.

Birth Day

Today has been a lovely start to a new year of my life. A slow morning and a day off at home spent with my two fur babies are mostly to thank for it.

There are many words in my head and feelings in my heart about this day, and these days in general, but right now, there's not enough time to sit down and collect them all on paper. Maybe someday. Hopefully someday soon.

Breathing & Reflecting

Image via Death to the Stock Photo

I really like the monthly "... : currently" series that Elise writes on her blog and I've seen similar ones pop up on several other blogs too, so I wanted to try it out for myself. I titled my version 'breahing & reflecting' because in order to write it I literally had to stop, take a deep breath and reflect on my life at the moment. This is something that both my body and my mind are in dire need of right now - and something that I don't do nearly enough - and, I think, it is also the reason why I like this type of post so much.

Here it goes. These days I am...


feeling frustrated with the hectic schedule of my days

anticipating lots of spring flowers in our front yard (just like last year and the year before). Their green leaves are already a good few inches tall.

enjoying Pinterest a lot and spending considerable amounts of time on there

rediscovering one of my long-time favourite blogs, Jen Loves Kev; it's the kind of rediscovery that makes me fall in love with this crazy awesome world of blogging all over again

catching up on my IIN lessons and getting ready for the first test

noticing that it is almost light out at 5:30am when I wake up (don't even get me started! - see first point)

trying hard to put more time and energy into this space; I miss it so

commuting by subway again and not minding it at all

seeing gaggles (yup, I've looked it up and this is exactly what they're called :) I love it! ) of geese returning home

A Student Again

This week is the fifth one in a new adventure for me. At the beginning of the year, an idea sparked inside my mind, and by mid-January I was ready to act on it by enrolling back into school, so right now I am completing my fifth week of being a student again. After what was the longest break from school that I've had since I started first grade all those years ago, it feels good to be back at it. For those 13 months of not being a student, life felt really odd. Sure, part of it was adjusting to a new life as an adult and a working girl, but on some level I knew that I wasn't done with school yet. I don't know if I will ever feel like I am completely done with school, because being a student has been such a big part of my identity. But right now, I'm not thinking that far ahead, I'm just happy to fully delve into the subject of my course. Especially since this time, for the first time in a very long time, I'm studying something that I'm so very passionate about.

To end an unnecessarily long introduction, for five weeks now, I've been a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. At its core, it is indeed a nutrition school, but in effect it is so much more than that, because the word "nutrition" refers to more than just the food we eat; it includes other important things that feed us in different ways, things like social life, spirituality and career pursuits, and most impressively, it deals with all of them in a neutral way, so that the students can choose their own path. Like it was pointed out in one of the lectures I was just listening to today, they don't teach us what to think, they teach us how to think.

I've known about IIN for maybe 2 or 3 years now, and never really had an interest in becoming a health coach. Sure I've been really enthusiastic about eating and living healthy for a while, but I figured that my introversion, shyness and youth means that health coaching might not be a wise career choice for me. After this last year of work experience though, I've realized that there are many things about this career that I would enjoy, and along the way I could learn to work through all my weaknesses too. Something inside of me told me that I just had to enroll this year. So I did - and I'm really happy about it. During these past five weeks, I've absorbed so much information. I'm learning and growing every day, and I can't wait to see what the next 11 months will bring and how this one choice will shape my future, but I'd love to share my journey in this space as well.

Here's to new beginnings and a bright future ahead! I'm so looking forward to all of it.