March 2021 - what's bringing me joy lately

Hellooooo March!

It feels like it was just March, and at the same time 102349234 years have passed since then. I mean, my last blog post was posted 14 months ago on how to set goals for 2020. Aw, how cute.

I am not even going to attempt to talk about what has happened since then, because I think we would all prefer to just leave it in the past.

And that’s my personal theme of the month for this March - FRESH START!

And so far, this is a really great week.

The weather forecast is above freezing for the foreseeable future, we just had a big full moon this weekend, and I am full of energy, optimism and hope. Or at least, the optimism is tipping the scales over the depression and sadness. Which feels good! We’re good. I’m gonna roll with it.

Most importantly, Thomas and I are starting 3 full days per week at our co-working/daycare space!

We’ve been doing 3 half days for over a year, but this winter has been a little touch and go with the holidays, isolating at home so we can see family, COVID exposures, etc etc. If you have a kid in daycare you get it. Being home with a toddler is a challenge, especially when it’s been too cold to go outside, and I’ve had to put my own work and projects on the back burner. So I’m excited to get into a more solid routine and am so grateful to have the support.

And I get to be onsite and have lunch with T, and he gets to play with other kids and get attention and activities from trained professionals, not just exhausted mommy and daddy. It is really a gift!

For us right now, having this support is so important for me to feel like I have equilibrium in my life, so I can be the best version of Anna for everyone I love. Best wife, mom, coach, sister, friend.

And I’m excited to pour some creative energy back into my coaching business and this blog!

Just a reminder that you don’t have to wait for the perfect time, until you have a clean house, are feeling less overwhelmed, or even until you’ve overcome your self doubt to decide today is the day you start whatever it is you’ve been wanting to do.

You don’t need a reason, or even motivation. Just start.

So welcome back to the blog! I’m planning to post weekly, sharing life updates, and posts around creativity, motherhood, entrepreneurship, mindset, and cyclical living. You can subscribe to my newsletter and I’ll email you the latest updates!

Here’s what’s been bringing me joy lately:

• Reinstating our family Chicago Adventures!

The summer between my miscarriage and Thomas back in 2018, Ben and I started a weekly tradition of exploring a new part of the city every weekend, and it’s something I want to bring back now that Thomas is old enough to engage with the world around him. Obviously our options are limited because of the pandemic and winter but it just means we have an opportunity to be creative. Literally just getting out of the house, in the car and driving around a new area is a mental health boost!

• Perfecting my home mani and pedi game

Ben might not understand my obsession for painting my nails 2-3 times a week, but this winter I fell down the @oliveandjune rabbit hole and have become obsessed with perfecting my home mani/pedi game. I don’t think I’ve found this much joy in painting my nails since Jr High but it’s like a creative outlet + self care ritual wrapped into one and everytime I look at my nails I get a mini dose of pleasure and happiness 😍

Plus anything that would make 10 year old Anna proud is a sign I’m doing something right. Like multicolored nails. Yessss.

I am not sponsored but have been getting some Q’s so here’s what I like about Olive & June!

• salon quality mani and pedi tools and tutorials
• pretty colors and fun seasonal launches
• woman owned small biz
• supportive, positive community
• 7 free polish that lasts days without chips if I follow the prep steps

I highly recommend the Pedi System if you want to treat yourself, and here’s a coupon for $10 off your first $50 purchase. Use it! Beware, you might become hooked as well.

• Giving my bathroom a mini makeover!

We live and work in a small 2 bedroom apartment in the city and the kitchen + living space is one room. It’s been great to have Ben working from home for the past year but I literally have zero space that is my own, until i remembered THE BEST part of our apartment is that it has two full bathrooms!

So for around $50 I updated my makeup storage situation I’ve had since college and spruced up my little room to make it bright and girly. Love.

Here are the links to the shower curtain and make up organizers I found:

• Nail Polish Organizer

• Makeup Organizer

• Shower Curtain

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

• Baking the best chocolate chip cookies ever

My mother in law introduced this recipe to me back in college when she and I were watching Ben pole vault at our conference meet (which - in a small world moment - was held at a university within walking distance to where we currently live!).

The secret ingredient is vanilla pudding mix! You can also use chocolate, but I think vanilla is actually the best. 

The recipe card is a bit hard to interpret, but mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl from the wet ingredients, combine the wet ingredients in a stand mixer, add the pudding to the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients to the mixer, and finally stir in the chocolate chips.

• Obviously… Thomas!

He is 18 months old now and it’s the cutest stage. I’ve really been enjoying the “taby” (baby/toddler) phase. He loves saying Mama and Dada incessantly when one or the other of us is out of sight, can do all the motions to Wheels on the Bus, gets really excited to watch trucks and buses drive by, and is literally learning new skills every single day. He loves giving us hugs and snuggles and is the sweetest little boy!

• Knowing that spring is on the way…

I recently read in the weather section that since they began recording the weather in the 1800’s, Chicago has only logged FIVE Marches without snowfall. What ! For some convoluted reason this has put my mind at ease, because I know when we inevitably get that March snowstorm, it is supposed to happen and doesn’t mean winter is forever. It’s just part of the transition to spring.

That being said, February into March is the toughest time of year for me, and I think most people here in Chicago. Especially being one full year into the pandemic, we are all just completely fatigued and burned out from all the isolation and stress. It’s been hard for me to focus lately, and I’ve been giving myself lots of grace and redefining my expectations of productivity. 

A couple things that help my mood and mental health when we are at the edge of winter:

-having a creative project to focus on (see: redecorating my bathroom and working on the Etsy shop)

-planning something to look forward to (currently we don’t have anything on the calendar but our older family members are starting to get their vaccines and it makes me hopeful for some long overdue mini road trips this spring!)

Continuing to take life one day at a time and focusing on gratitude for what we have!

xo Anna

Life lately - summer updates, recovery, and behind the scenes

Happy August!

I know my last post was a bit heavy, but before I re-launch the blog back into "business as usual," I wanted to share a life update and behind the scenes on what I’ve been up to this summer and how I’ve been feeling. To remind you (and myself) that it’s ok to feel like your life is a hot mess. That it’s still possible to seek meaning and joy and work towards your dreams and business goals while processing grief and loss and all the shit too. Big love and hugs all around!

Our deck has become my happy place.

The weather has for the most part been cool and glorious and I love spending my mornings camped out on the wicker loveseat Ben gave me for my birthday, reading and journaling and thinking and be-ing. Feeling the breeze, watching the squirrels turn the power lines into their circus arena, watching the airplanes glide into O’Hare, trying to ignore the occasional wafts of summer trash smell coming from the dumpster right below.

Sometimes our neighbors across the alley blast mariachi music.

My little sanctuary in the city.

May and June were a whirlwind. Loss and grief as I went through the miscarriage, the high of our annual coach Summit, travel to Florida and Tennessee, bills on bills on bills. Between losing a pregnancy and having two new biopsies done on abnormal spots I have been an expensive human being this year.

So how have I been feeling, really?

Some weeks I’m doing great and flying high, but for the most part I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other and enjoy summer and not drink too many margaritas and keep my business afloat and serve my clients and be a good friend/wife/daughter and not be wracked with uncontrollable envy when I see my pregnant friends. Because everyone and their mother is apparently pregnant right now, did you notice? I am happy for you, I truly am.

They tell me I am being so strong and I say “well, life happens!” and change the subject before I start crying.

But a piece of me likes playing victim and pity party too. I hear that the only cure for miscarriage grief is getting pregnant again, but at the same time I am terrified of losing all my energy and losing my body and being exhausted and can we even afford this? Am I actually ready to be a mother? FUCK I DON’T KNOW! They all say it’s worth it, in tired strained voices as they bark at their misbehaving toddler in the same breath.

I recently took the Enneagram personality test (here is a great free version!) and was “diagnosed” as a 4, which apparently means I'm good at processing grief, experiencing melancholy, and don't just have feelings ... I AM my feelings. YOU DON'T SAY. I feel like I suddenly understand myself so much better. I feel it all.

When July hit, I was desperate for a fresh start and threw myself into the pursuit of “reclaiming my joy” and my body.

But this week I had a fleeting thought: I think I’ve been putting too much pressure on myself.

I want this year to be my year so bad. The year my business finally blasts through the stable comfy plateau it’s been sitting in. The year I grow into myself. Confidence, gratitude, give zero F’s, overcome fears. The year we start a family.

I want this to be the year that good things happen. That life isn’t so hard. (Ha!)

My biggest fear right now is that I won’t be able to grow a baby and grow a business at the same time. That we won’t be financially prepared for this next step. That we won’t be able to afford to buy a house until we are 40.

But so what if we need to stay in our little apartment for a while longer? I can claim a plot in the community garden down the street.

I tend to focus on what's missing from my life, so I'm making an effort to practice gratitude and look at what is already here. Because overall I'm pretty much living my dream, and life is good.

And as much as I've been craving nature and mountains and wilderness...

Chicago isn’t too bad.

A sneak peek behind the scenes:

Even though I tend to go into hermit mode, I’ve been making an intentional effort to get together in person with friends and family as much as possible, and create more coffee dates//networking opportunities with other coaches and entrepreneurs here in the city and I am so immensely grateful for the support and love and connections I have in my life.

I went to Iowa for my college roommate’s daughter’s baptism.

I went to my first Tony Robbins event, Unleash the Power Within (and the power was unleeeeeeashed). You can watch my re-cap video here!

My friend Amanda and I launched our workshop and wellness event business, Empowered & Free.

I've been running the beta round of my Cycle Sync Your Biz program with a small and awesome group of women.

Ben and I started LIIFT4, a new strength program together.

My mom in law Pat came to visit. We went to a concert in the park and other summery things and it was really fun.

I've been getting back into yoga, getting back into church, and spending lots of downtime reading Game of Thrones and watching Bachelorette, Nashville, and Real Housewives.

August Intentions

Heading into the final stretch of summer, here are my intentions!

• I want to continue to focus on in-person relationships

• launch my Cycle Sync Your Biz program! (email me if you're interested)

• get back into a blogging groove

• be intentional with social media consumption (loving the Facebook News Feed Eradicator plug in)

• turn my piles of fabric into headbands and scarves for the fall season in the Etsy shop

• dive back into the baby making journey without stress.

• add more free resources to this blog!

Notes to self/you:

-it’s ok to be solitary, to dive into projects and work (I don’t have to be present on social media every day)

-it’s ok to have enormous goals and feel like there’s no way I can do it all. (lean on trust and faith and baby steps)

-don’t be afraid to show up and LEVEL UP. Do the work/hold the space/life the life/claim the energy as if I am already there.

-take action before I feel ready (I’ll never feel ready)

I'm excited about what's to come, but at the same time I'm content with how things are right now. I think that's a pretty good place to be :)

xo Anna

2017 in review ...and what's coming in 2018!

Hello my friend!

It’s a 60 degree day in February and we’re getting the most sun we’ve seen in Chicago since January 18th (not that I’m counting …)

This month has been a little rough! I thought I was experiencing a little bit of the February Blues but it kept spiraling into the Winter Sad’s and there was this gloomy cloud blanketing my mojo and productivity. I’m finally feeling more like myself and shifting back into the light with the help of friends, people who I pay to listen to me vent, tons of Vitamin D, and longer days.

And that’s the truth about self care: it’s not always about yoga and bubble baths and good vibes only.

Sometimes self care means getting uncomfortable, feeling the feels, setting boundaries, re-evaluating expectations, and investing in support. Do what you gotta do to thrive and function as your best!

At the same time, I'm also trying to embrace the fact that I'm a human being with a wide range of emotions, and that feeling moody is totally fine and safe. So often we pressure ourselves to be "on" and happy 24/7 which is completely unrealistic and counterproductive. It's ok to feel the feels and meet yourself where you're at!

Anyways, long story short...

I’ve been planning to write my own personal “2017 in review” blog post since December annnnnd now it’s almost March 2018 … but it’s never too late, right? Right!

I think I’ve been procrastinating and resisting this post because 2017 was such a personally massive year for me and I’m still processing and integrating and trying to understand all the lessons I’ve learned. But let's be real - as a recovering perfectionist I know that if I wait until I have the perfect post ready to share with you, it will never happen.

So this is my imperfect but real and raw edition of 2017 in review!

Early in 2017 I traveled to Los Angeles for a leadership event for my health and fitness coaching business. It was my first time in LA so I had no idea what to expect except bad traffic and was prepared to be overwhelmed, but I was so surprised to fall in love with the energy of the city. It was like this magical, expansive energy of limitless possibility came over me that I'll never forget. I wrote in my notebook “this is the year everything changed" because I had this gut level intuitive feeling that whatever happened in the rest of 2017 would impact the course of the rest of my life, as if I was on the brink of a giant yet exciting sea change.

And it really was the year everything changed. Nothing like I expected, but in quieter, more subtle yet immensely powerful shifts.

I guess that's lesson #1: Life is never going to turn out as we expect.

If we're open and release our death grip on control, it might turn out to be even better.

I'll remember 2017 as the year I finally started to come home to myself. It was the year of alignment, flow, learning to trust myself. 

2017 was the year I turned 30!

My birthday is April 26th so in Illinois, that means a crapshoot between freezing and rainy or sunny and 70's. This past year it was the latter, and I kicked off my new year with lunch with a girlfriend, drinks and dinner with Ben at our favorite local restaurant, and wandering around my favorite high vibe neighborhood to soak in the sun and flowers. It was the perfect way to kick off a new decade!

I was a little nervous to turn 30, I mean there's such a stigma around leaving your 20's behind and becoming an official "adult." But it has honestly been my favorite year of my entire life so far.

It's like all the bullshit of my 20's was instantly washed away. All the self doubt, insecurities, drama, emotional baggage, it all went *poof* and was replaced with a fresh slate.

30 has been the year I discovered my voice and really felt like I found my groove with life, relationships, business, and my purpose.

Lesson #2: 30 freaking rocks

2017 was the year I realized I'm creating a legit movement with Inspire Joy

I officially celebrated 3 years of coaching with Beachbody, my health and fitness platform. Three years is a long time -- officially the longest I've ever held one job. (#millennial) Ever since day one, I've had this crystal clear burning vision for the movement I wanted to create with my team of coaches, Inspire Joy.

I want our team to be a sisterhood, a leadership incubator for creative and big hearted women who are craving more in life -- more freedom, more connection, more impact, more purpose in their lives. A platform for self discovery, for sharing our stories to empower and serve others. 

We do our work online, so every chance to get together in person is truly special. In July we travelled to New Orleans for our annual coach summit, and physically meeting my coaches' coaches' coaches and feeling the instant synergy like we are all long lost soul sisters was overwhelming. 

I also officially launched my health and wellness website so I could branch out and keep the two arms of my business (life coaching vs. health and fitness coaching) separate! If you want to keep in the loop with my health and wellness groups and get my weekly motivational pep talks, you can join my mailing list here!

Lesson #3: Sometimes it's safe to stop hustling and striving and acknowledge that you have already arrived. Also -- it is possible to build an authentic, heart centered, and profitable network marketing business!

In 2017 I made family more of a priority. Ben and I live several hours away from both of our families and I sold my car last year but I was able to take the Amtrak home for several weekend visits, hosted my parents for a sunny and warm February weekend, visited the German Christmas Market here in Chicago with my grandma and mom, road-tripped to East Tennessee to visit Ben's mom (and hike!), got to see my younger siblings who are now adults living all over the country, and spent a little time on my grandma's farm in Iowa.

Lesson #4: The older I get, the more I realize how important family is to me, and also that I am happiest when I'm out of the city and in nature, whether that's a mountain or cornfield.

Ben and I didn't take any major trips together this past year but we made an effort to get out for mini weekend road trips as often as possible, to Madison, Michigan, Galena, Indiana Dunes, and a bigger trip to Tennessee. We love traveling and exploring new places together and want to enjoy the freedom we have in this season of life, pre-kids and pets! 

Oh, and we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and continued our epic Halloween couples' costume tradition by dressing up as the eclipse :)

Lesson #5: Marriage rocks. At least when you're married to Ben. Also, it's worth it to break out of routine and explore new places even if they're right in your backyard!

2017 will go down as the year I discovered so much about myself.

I finished my life coaching certification and launched my 1:1 practice!

I learned how to invest in myself and my business, and was able to connect with many other incredibly inspiring coaches and entrepreneurs to share this crazy rollercoaster.

Lesson #6: I can trust myself and embrace the journey

I also started to take my personal development obsession to a whole new level, dove into spirituality and my faith journey, and opened myself up to learning about so many "woo woo" alternative things like astrology, crystals, human design, manifesting, feminine energy, basically anything I felt curious about that resonated with me.

Lesson #7: Entrepreneurship (and life in general) is a spiritual practice, and the more you open your heart and surrender to the bigger power we're all part of (whether you call that the universe, source, God, etc), the happier and more in flow your life will become.

Lesson #8: Follow your curiosity!

I've been working on my health and fitness for years, but as my life evolves my wellness journey has evolved as well.

Instead of working out and eating healthy to be skinny-fit, I've started appreciating my body for what it does for me. I feel more comfortable and confident than ever, and have shifted my goals towards hormone health, strength, and most of all having fun!

I joined a yoga studio, tried a 21 day vegan reset, have learned a ton about cycle syncing since quitting the birth control pill, and feel a lot more relaxed about the whole health and fitness thing.

Lesson #9: Embrace the journey and make your own rules when it comes to health and fitness. We only get one body and it has to last a lifetime!

2017 was the year I truly OPENED MY HEART! Instead of being an introverted hermit and playing victim mode, I actively searched and created community and belonging whether with my team, friends, and by hosting my first live workshop!

Lesson #10: It is safe to be yourself and share that with others. It's also ok to ask for help, lean on friends for support, and be a team player instead of putting yourself and others on pedestals.

What's coming in 2018?

Well, so far the year has been off to an exhilarating yet rocky start. Lots of up-leveling, growing pains, old fears bubbling to the surface, exciting new opportunities, but overall I feel like I'm finding my groove and am excited to keep growing, sharing the journey from the trenches, serving others, and having adventures!

I'm continuing to use my health and fitness coaching as a positive outlet for self care and mentor my coaches.

I'm also taking on 1:1 life coaching clients, and am super excited to be developing my first group program or e-course for creative entrepreneurs and women in biz who want to learn how to tap into their feminine energy and create authentic, sustainable success while making self care a priority!

My focus this year is to create more content, cultivate community, prioritize my creativity, and most of all relax and enjoy the journey.

Cheers to the next chapter!

xo Anna