Fall brings lots of action — from kid’s sporting events to new business opportunities — and you’re likely meeting lots of new faces along the way. Some of these connections you’ll naturally “vibe” with, while other relationships may feel a little icky or not right (and that’s OK too, BTW).
I challenge you to open yourself up to receiving the kind of relationships that will be a good fit for you, lift you up and help you grow.
Here are some practical tips for creating meaningful connections:
Join a New Group
If you’re craving connection, one of the best places to start is your local community! I recommend joining a networking group, moms club or business meetup.
While it can be a little nerve-wracking being the “new kid on the block,” it’s exciting to mingle with new people. Plus, I’ll bet you everyone else felt just as awkward as you do their first time.
Spark Your Creativity
Consider signing up for a class that sparks your creativity like painting, photography or jewelry-making.
You’ll ignite your inner artist, have a little fun, and meet other like-minded folks you can hang with outside the classroom.
Good morning friends, and happy October! To me, October is a month of digging out what’s no longer serving us and harvesting the new — be it new connections, work projects or creative avenues.
Speaking of new connections, I’m so excited to bring you this month’s feature on Healthy Chicks in the Community, a monthly series highlighting rockstar Girl Bosses doing their thang in the wellness world. Reiki practitioner and women + girls empowerment coach Sam Carney is a ray of sunshine, empowering girls to be whoever it is they want to be…with confidence.
Through her business Doorway of Light, she launched her signature program Blossom Bright — offering a variety of unique group mentorship opportunities for young women. Think: farm-fresh lunches, full moon sleepovers and vision board workshops.
In this month’s interview, we chat with Sam about creating impact in the community, the power of real food made with love, and why she creates music playlists to correspond with the seasons.
Photo credit: Alyssa Fortin Photography
NAME:
Sam Carney
DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS/LINE OF WORK:
I am a reiki practitioner and a women + girls empowerment facilitator. I offer energy healing and mentorship to women and teen girls
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.
While I’m all for the fall apple festivals, oversized sweaters and pumpkin spice everything, I’m not quite ready for cold and flu season. I’ve got a whole “wellness toolkit” to protect myself, but at the end of the day one of the simplest things you can do is keep it clean.
Good ol’ fashioned hand-washing with soap and hot water is my recommended go-to, but when I’m on the go I reach for a natural hand sanitizer as the next best thing. That’s why you’ll always find a travel-sized sanitizer in the diaper bag for car trips, dining out, and family outings!
Desert Essence Probiotic Hand Sanitizer
I’m a huge fan of Desert Essence products — especially their jojoba oil — so I was intrigued when they came out with a hand sanitizer…made with probiotics. I’ll admit, at first I was a little confused — probiotics in your hand sanitizer? But isn’t that counterintuitive?
As it turns out, there’s actually a pretty genius reason for it. In addition to the powerful plant-based antibacterials killing 99.99% of germs — like tea tree oil, thyme and elderberry — they top it off with super probiotic kefir to condition … Read More!
Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! Hubby and I enjoyed a lovely weekend camping (ahem, glamping) with family in Cooperstown, NY…the perfect way to say goodbye to sweet summertime.
But before you say goodbye for good, you’re going to want to make this grilled Elote Corn. With just the right amount of salty, savory and zest, this recipe is a late summertime must!
Grill corn until lightly charred, for about 8-10 minutes. Brush with mayo, and generously sprinkle with feta cheese followed by a dash of chili powder, cayenne and fresh cilantro to your liking. Serve with a lime wedge and a bottle of your favorite rosé.
In the blink of an eye, September is here, and that means it’s time for this month’s feature on Healthy Chicks in the Community, a monthly series highlighting rockstar Girl Bosses doing their thang in the wellness world.
I’m all about supporting other women-owned businesses, so I was thrilled to connect with WishRoute, an “accountability buddy” providing tools to help you build healthy habits around exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness. The founder Jess reached out when they were kicking things off to see if I wanted to include my Spark Your Bliss cards in their surprise member packages, and it was a heck yes from me!
On this month’s series, I got to chat with Jess to discuss the importance of having accountability when it comes to shifting behavior, her knack for experimenting with healthy deserts, and why Katrina Lake of Stich Fix is her #1 role model in biz.
NAME:
Jess Lynch
DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS/LINE OF WORK:
I founded WishRoute on the belief that people lack the accountability they need to follow through with their wellness goals. We all have lots of robot driven health & wellness apps on our phones, but we aren’t emotionally connected, so when … Read More!
With summer coming to an end, I’m soaking up every last bit of the season — pineapple sangria, al fresco dining, fresh berries, and all.
A couple weeks ago, baby girl woke up an hour early, so I quickly fed her breakfast, got her dressed and ventured out to go blueberry picking. While little miss fuss only lasted about 30 minutes (that’s what ya get when you try to stretch nap time), we got enough bleubs to make a couple batches of gluten free blueberry muffins.
If you’ve got yourself a stash o’ berries you’re not quite sure what to do with, I highly recommend making a batch of these bad boys!
I used this gluten free recipe from Iowa Girl Eats (subbing brown rice flour for 1:1 baking flour). Let me tell you: they’re deeelish, and babe’s a fan as well. It’s hard to believe these babies are gluten free and vegan, the only sugar coming from the banana and maple syrup! Win, win.
Recipe hack: sprinkle with cinnamon & brown sugar before popping in the oven for a little extra pizazz. 😉 Enjoy! … Read More!
This phrase has never rang more true to me since becoming a mom.
For those who don’t know, two months ago my husband and I packed up our two-bedroom apartment, left Massachusetts (where we met, lived for the past 10 years, got pregnant and gave birth to Isabella) and moved back to Connecticut to live with my parents for the time being while we house-hunt.
The main reason we moved back home was to be closer to family — and once Isabella was born we knew we wanted to do it sooner than later. As a hybrid between a stay-at-home and work-from-home mom, I’ve been busy this past year taking care of our baby and taking care of business. It’s not perfect, and I’ve started to realize I can’t do everything 100%, 100% of the time. And that’s OK.
That said, it’s been difficult not having close family and friends nearby to lend a hand, cook a meal, or even just be there to remind you that you’ve got this or for some good ol’ fashioned adult conversation. For the most part it’s been me, myself and baby.
Since moving, the past month or so has … Read More!
