Currently Loading Vol. 5
January 2022
Note to self with/Jennifer Pauline
Image: In prep mode for our first event of the year, a retreat gathering in the American Riviera (Santa Barbara, California)
Each January, I find myself eager and enthusiastic about what’s to come. New goals, new vision, new ideas, new opportunities. Everything feels fresh and I feel renewed.
This year is no different.
Though I will say I am more determined than ever to be more clear and more specific about what I want this year to bring. In the past, I’ve set broad visions and goals and this year it’s about granularity. Asking more questions, reflecting on what did and didn’t work the past year, and assessing how I want to feel (hello, goals with souls).
Being a second-time entrepreneur, entering into my second full year of business, last year was filled with lessons and learnings. Life was life-ing okkkk?
I found myself with less time than ever. Exhausted, uncertain, grateful, joyful, overwhelmed, and on an emotional rollercoaster that I couldn’t get off of. Yes, it is possible to be grateful and overwhelmed simultaneously.
Looking back, I can identify the moments when fear beat trust and when overwhelm swallowed gratitude. So I’ve made it my mission this year to prioritize boundaries, create unbreakable systems, manage my time better, assess the intentions of myself, my team, potential, and existing clients, plus add breaks into my calendar/schedule.
I’m also creating personal and work to-do lists so I feel accomplished in taking care of myself while taking care of others. This means building my personal schedule out a month in advance. Acupuncture, personal training sessions, facials, walks, meditation, reading, etc. They all live in my calendar and the rest of my life is built around these critical self-care activities.
I don’t expect this year to be perfect, but I do expect myself to be more grounded and rested as I grow into the woman that I’ve been called to become. My agency’s motto is ‘fueled by service’, but I can’t forget to fuel myself so that I can serve from a place of excellence and not exhaustion.
With love and intention,
Jennifer Pauline
Morning routine with/Erin Juliana
The Detroit based wellness entrepreneur, Erin Juliana,shares her peaceful morning routine.
I’m a meditation teacher, mindfulness consultant, and wellness entrepreneur so each day looks different. On days I don’t have morning sessions, I’ve been blessed enough to be able to create a life that allows me to prioritize stillness and take my time to actively pour into myself. This is what my day looks like when I don’t have any in-person morning sessions!
7:30 wake up naturally go downstairs to use the bathroom and take a few breaths
7:38-8:15 go to my comfy corner, the area on the floor to the right to my window. The corner is full of pillows, my sound bowl, flowers, and my journal. I started reading “The Artist’s Way” and was required to do morning pages daily, so I write three pages of a “meditative brain dump.”
8:15-8:45 open the windows, drink some water, and light incense.
8:45-9:30 I turn some upbeat music on to get my energy up and have a dance party. I try to not listen to rap before noon.
9:30-9:50 get in the shower, adding a few drops of lemongrass essential oil to the water to add a spa-like feel to wake me up and increase my energy and mood
10 start my day professionally by looking at my emails and to-do list
10:30-10:55 make breakfast
The Power of Clear Vision With/Arielle V. and KristIN Jones
Los Angeles based, Arielle Vavasseur and Kristin Jones are best friends who co-founded Inside Projects in 2018. Over their decade-plus friendship, they have spent thousands of hours not only working but talking about personal growth and how living a life led by values brings us all closer to purposes, passion and fulfillment.
What methods help you create clarity in your daily routine?
AV: Practicing mindfulness and working out are probably the two most helpful gateways to clarity for me. Most mornings I read a chapter from a book called Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. The main idea is that peace is available to you at any moment. The chapters are really short and super simple so it has really become a form of meditation. Working out consistently with a trainer is new for me and it has really changed my life. It just brings me back to center where I can get really clear with myself about what I need and what I can offer.
KJ: Keeping it simple has been a game-changer for me. I used to be overly ambitious with what I thought I could accomplish in a day, and as a result, my daily routine was unnecessarily complicated and therefore super inconsistent. Over the past four months, I've started to focus on a basic morning routine that gives me the mental space I need to navigate my days and goals. I start every day - even my weekends - with 20 minutes of transcendental meditation (TM) followed by 20 minutes of freewriting. It's pretty wild how grounded these two practices leave me and how effective they are in helping me sustain my clarity all day long.
What value does clarity hold in your personal and professional life?
AV + KJ: Clarity is one of the most important things we value in our personal and professional lives because it gives us meaningful direction. We’ve known each other for a long time and would be lying if we said we have always had the clarity we have today. But what we have always had is a mutual commitment to evolving into the best version of ourselves. In 2017 we spent a lot of time reflecting internally to identify the people, beliefs, values, and ideas that matter most to us. The minute we could identify what we cared about, we naturally began to think creatively about what it would look like to pursue these priorities in our daily lives. Our agency, Inside Projects, is an excellent example of how this type of alignment can manifest itself because IP is truly the professional extension of one of our (many) shared personal beliefs -- that amplifying the voices and passions of communities and community members is essential.
How does clarity aid in your self care practices?
AV: Self care for me has not only been about trendy rituals, but it has really been about clear boundaries. I enjoy being in service to other people, especially people I love. But to be in service, I’ve learned that I have to prioritize knowing my limits so that I can preserve the best version of myself. When I have clear boundaries, I can create space for myself within myself, which, for me, is the ultimate self-care practice.
KJ: Clarity keeps me grounded, so when I'm lacking it, I don't always properly assess what my needs are, and I end up confusing distractions for meaningful nourishment (like heading to happy hour when what I needed was to see if my therapist was available for an evening session).
ON THE PATH
Nourishment for your daily, weekly, and monthly journey. Here’s what we’re eating, reading, and listening to.
READING
Is That All There Is? Why Burnout Is A Broken Promise Refinery 29
10 secrets of today’s most productive people Fast Company
What I Know About Community Building Medium
3 ‘customer-obsession behaviors’ for the digital age Fast Company
FOOD + DRINK
Baked by Melissa TikTok Salad “Dip”
Sakara Metabolism Powder is perfect by itself or in your coffee. The boost you need to get through the day and curb your sugar cravings. And, if you’re in LA you can grab it IRL at Alfred coffee shop!
Grain-Free Chai Oatmeal, 3 tsp each of chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, 1/4 c of steamed dairy-free milk, 3-4 drops of monk fruit sweetener, dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, a handful of chopped walnuts, a dollop of Just Date x Diaspora Co Chai Caramel
LISTENING TO
Brené with James Clear on Atomic Habits, Part 1 of 2 Dare to Lead with Brené Brown (wherever you listen to podcasts)
Michael Bernard Beckwith: Participate in Your Unfolding Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations (wherever you listen to podcasts)
With/Sound 001 curated by Saybin (link below)