Healthy Chicks

Hello beauties! I don’t know about you but I’ve been craving more connection lately — through meetups with friends, dinners out and sprinkling in some in-person events again (finally).

One way that I love connecting is through the amazing women I’ve been fortunate to meet in the community, which was the inspiration behind Healthy Chicks in the Community, a monthly series highlighting rockstar Girl Bosses making an impact.

I’m thrilled to bring back this series by introducing you Kaitlyn Casso, a CT Brand Photographer who specializes in working with women entrepreneurs. We first connected online a couple years back through my affirmation deck, and she actually ended up taking the incredible photos for my most recent brand photoshoot. (You know, the ones that are all over this website and social media! 😉 )

In this inspiring interview, we chat with Kaitlyn about her go-to morning ritual to set her day up for success, how she instills confidence in front of the camera, and her love for chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. I’ll let Kaitlyn take it away from here!

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS:

Passionate, driven, sincere 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY IN BECOMING A BRAND PHOTOGRAPHER. WERE … Read More!

When I became a mama 13 months ago, my greatest wish was fulfilled — I had my baby girl. But at the same time, I really struggled with my identity.

WHO AM I? IS “MOM” A JOB TITLE?

Taking on the new mom role (the hardest and most fulfilling job I’ve ever had), I naturally cut back on other things — taking on less freelance writing, dropping a few clients and skipping networking events in favor of baby snuggles. Yes I felt a little guilty, but that’s where my heart wanted to be: with my baby girl.

And I loved every minute of it. Sometimes I’d feel embarrassed or lazy for not “doing enough” for my business, and on the days I prioritized my work I’d feel tired or guilty for not being a “present” enough mom.

Now that we’re over a year in, I’m starting to get that itch again to get back in the groove with my business — I’m opening myself up to new freelance writing opportunities, going out of my comfort zone, teaching myself sales (in my own authentic way) and signing up for holiday vendor fairs while also being a mom.

Sometimes this means … Read More!

How many times have you told yourself, “Screw it, I already had one brownie, I may as well eat the whole batch!” “I completely ‘over did it’ last night so I’m just going to starve myself all morning”, “I skipped the gym for two days in a row. There goes that plan!” or even  “I destroyed my diet. I am a complete failure!”

Sound familiar? Trust me, thoughts like this pretty much consumed me all throughout my college years, leaving me completely miserable. I felt worthless, FAT, and downright exhausted. These beliefs not only mess with our overall wellbeing (body image, weight loss efforts, positive outlook on life) but they simply aren’t true. They are just little lies we tell ourselves to protect us from taking action.

Next time you hear yourself throwing a negative pity party or drowning yourself in guilt, I want you to stop yourself in your tracks. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember that you don’t need to be perfect 100% of the time to be 100% healthy & happy.

No matter how many slices of pizza you ate or how many workouts you skipped out on, the good news is you have … Read More!

Goodmorning lovely ladies and Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I will be celebrating my THIRD Valentine’s Day with The Boy which is quite hard to believe. In fact, last night while laying in bed together, I reminded him of our very first Valentine’s Day together. The day started off lovely, as he surprised me with my first ever roses, cards, gifts and all the mushy gushy things V Day is set out to be.

Then at night, things took a turn. We were laying in bed (same sides of the bed as we do now!) in his 16th-floor apartment in Revere overlooking the ocean and I was definitely starting to feel loving feelings. Mind you, this was only about 3 months into our relationship. He then threw a little curve ball, and somehow mentioned his fear of commitment and how it takes him a while to express himself. I was completely taken aback but held in my frustration (or so I thought I did) because I knew he was worth fighting for…taking a chance on. It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come since then!

This year, whether you are single or coupled off, the best advice I can give you … Read More!

This afternoon, while flipping through some old books, I discovered a little folded up piece of white-lined paper. When I began to open it, I got shivers because I immediately knew what it was: My “Vision Board” from when I was 19 or 20. While it was five or six years ago, I still remember quite vividly writing out my first ever Vision Board (which I titled My Visionary Board) while spending some QT on Fisher’s Island with my family.

If you can’t see it well, I’ll paint you a little picture for you:

Top Left: Photos of magazines, books, money, pens and paper with my name written in the byline of said books/magazines

Top Right: Me behind a table that says “Health Co.” I wrote above “Office in Boston.”

Middle: Me with Tall, Handsome Stranger with the words “happy & loving” over myself and “funny, handsome, sweet & spontaneous” over tall man

Bottom Left: Photo of me in a pony tail running with a water bottle, in which I wrote “Me at 140 lbs. calm, happy, healthy & in shape.”

Bottom Right: Photo of me with an apple, banana and women around me with the words “helping … Read More!

Happy Tuesday ladies! I wanted to give you all a little friendly reminder that I send out my weekly newsletter “A Day in the Life of a Healthy Chick” every Monday. This week I discuss your relationship with food, natural aphrodisiacs, homemade V-Day goodies & more. If you’d like to get on my list, simply enter you email below! If you sign up this week, you’ll also receive this Monday’s newsletter, so you won’t miss out on anything! xoxo

… Read More!

I have an over-the-top crush on soup. From thick stews and chowders to broth-based and bisques, soups make my heart melt.

There’s noting like coming home to a hot bowl of soup in the winter, especially when it’s homemade. It brings me back to childhood when I’d rush into the house from the bus stop to the heavenly aroma of parsley, dill and colorful vegetables. This meant my mom’s homemade Chicken Noodle Soup was about to be served!

Unfortunately, most soups and stews found at the store or restaurant are loaded with cream, sugar, sodium and other additives to enhance the flavor. But for me, the natural ingredients in soup create enough flavor as they are.

Last week, I was itching for a hearty bowl of soup, but not necessarily the heavy ingredients that come with it. Therefore, I browsed through some recipes for a little inspiration and decided to create my own thai-style coconut mushroom soup with sweet potatoes. If you know me, I’m not a huge fan of recipes because I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and playing with flavors! (I apologize in advance for my rookie recipe-writing skills since I rarely go by the exact tablespoon, cup … Read More!

Good evening lovely ladies…hope you’re all warm & cozy! I’m currently at Starbucks cozied up with a cup of hot Earl Grey with a steamed soy topper. It’s my new favorite post-noon drink!

Today I wanted to dive a little deeper into the topic of intentions, also known as dream-catching or envisioning exactly what you want and then GOING AFTER IT.

One of my personal goals for 2013 is to take bigger risks business-wise (i.e. don’t let fear hold me back from asking what I want). I know that I am talented, passionate and have what it takes, however sometimes I let that little voice inside my head take over and pull me  back.

Well, they’ll be no more of that in 2013! While I think it’s normal (and necessary) to go through a certain amount of self-doubt, I also think it’s important to recognize that many of these things we tell ourselves aren’t true. They are just little lies we tell ourselves to keep us safe and protect ourselves from danger i.e. rejection, failure, etc.

I have my mentor Coach Jenn Lee (for lighting a fire under my butt) along with  Gabrielle Bernstein (and her book May Cause … Read More!