Tag: happy

Happiness

A Random Acts of Kindness Guide: Sharing My Favorite Kindness Resources

by happsters12 Comments on A Random Acts of Kindness Guide: Sharing My Favorite Kindness Resources

Thank you for all of your kind responses to my post about giving away 1 million flowers! In line with that post, I wanted to share my favorite kindness ideas and resources with you. It’s almost Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17th!), so hopefully this will inspire you to get out there and help out a friend or stranger 😊

Top Kindness Charities & Organizations:

  • Channel Kindness: A Project of Born this Way Foundation
    • Channel Kindness is a digital platform created by Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. It is a safe space for young people to tell their stories of kindness, resilience, and community. By highlighting the people and organizations that are doing good in their communities, Channel Kindness’ audience is inspired to create a kinder and braver world, one story at a time.

  • Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
    • The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a small nonprofit that invests their resources into making kindness the norm. They are rooted in the belief that all people can connect through kindness and that kindness can be taught. They follow a simple framework for everything we do. Inspire -> Empower -> Act -> Reflect -> Share. Their evidence-based Kindness in the Classroom® curriculum gives students the social and emotional skills needed to live more successful lives. Their workplace kindness calendar shows companies how easy it is to change workplace culture through simple kind gestures. They create a common language between schools, work and home with all their resources.

  • Kindspring
    • KindSpring is a place to practice small acts of kindness. For over a decade the KindSpring user community has focused on inner transformation, while collectively changing the world with generosity, gratitude, and trust. The site is 100% volunteer-run and totally non-commercial. It is a shared labor of love.

  • Kindness.org
    • Kindness.org believes that kindness is an essential ingredient in social change. Through scientific research, education and storytelling, they are making it simple to choose and cultivate kindness.

  • KindnessEvolution
    • KindnessEvolution has been formed to more fully integrate intentional kindness, compassion, and generosity into very aspect of society.

  • The Foundation for a Better Life
    • The Foundation for a Better Life creates public service campaigns to communicate the values that make a difference in our communities. These uplifting messages, utilizing television, movie theaters, billboards, radio and the internet, model the benefits of a life lived by positive values.
Top 6 Kindness Books

Kindness Books:

  • CHANNEL KINDNESS Book by Born this Way Foundation and Lady Gaga
    • CHANNEL KINDNESS: Stories of Kindness and Community is a collection of inspirational stories written by young people as well as personal notes of empowerment from Born This Way Foundation co-founder Lady Gaga. Within these pages, you’ll meet young change-makers who found their inner strength, prevailed in the face of bullies, started their own social movements, and decided to break through the mental health stigma. These storytellers share how they felt, created safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and embraced kindness with every fiber of their being by helping others without the expectation of anything in return.

  • DEEP KINDNESS: A New Way to Talk About (and Act) with Kindness by Houston Kraft
    • Deep Kindness pairs anecdotes with actions that can make real change in our own lives, the lives of others, and throughout the world. Diving into the types of kindness the world needs most today, this book takes an honest look at the gap between our belief in kindness and our ability to practice it well—and shows us how to put intention into action. Exploring everything from the empathy gap to the skill of emotional regulation, Deep Kindness is perfect for anyone who believes in a kinder world and recognizes that there is a lot of work to do before we achieve it.

  • The Kindness Handbook: A Practical Guide by Sharon Salzberg
    • The Kindness Handbook features a thoughtful collection of anecdotes, stories, and practical tools to inspire kindness for any life situation. This book is your personal companion to explore the rich landscape of kindness―and help you see just how it might shift and open up your life to greater joy, meaning, and compassion.
  • The Power of Kindness: Why Empathy Is Essential in Everyday Life by Dr. Brian Goldman
    • In The Power of Kindness, Dr. Brian Goldman leaves the familiar surroundings of the hospital in search of his own lost compassion. A top neuroscientist performs an MRI scan of his brain to see if he is hard-wired for empathy. A researcher tests his personality and makes a startling discovery. Goldman then circles the planet in search of the most empathic people alive, to hear their stories and learn their secrets. He walks a boulevard in São Paulo, where he meets a woman who calls a homeless poet her soulmate and reunited him with his family; a research lab in Kyoto, where he meets a lifelike, empathetic android; and a nursing home in rural Pennsylvania, where he meets a therapist at a nursing home who has an uncanny knack of knowing what’s inside the hearts and minds of people with dementia, as well as her protege, a woman who talked a gun-wielding robber into walking away from his crime. Powerful and engaging, The Power of Kindness takes us far from the theatre of medicine and into the world at large, and investigates why kindness is so vital to our existence.

  • The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World by Jamil Zaki
    • In this groundbreaking book, Jamil Zaki shares cutting-edge research, including experiments from his own lab, showing that empathy is not a fixed trait—something we’re born with or not—but rather a skill that can be strengthened through effort. He also tells the stories of people who embody this new perspective, fighting for kindness in the most difficult of circumstances. 

Top 4 Kindness Podcasts

Kindness Podcasts:

  • The Kindness Podcast by NPR
    • The Kindness Podcast is on a mission to teach the world about the transformative power of kindness! The host, Nicole Phillips is a champion for using kindness to overcome all of life’s difficulties, including her own battle with breast cancer.

  • Kind World Podcast
    • Kind World is a show about how a single act of kindness can change someone’s life. In each episode, hosts and reporters Yasmin Amer and Andrea Asuaje search the world for good news stories that will restore your faith in humanity. A production of WBUR.

  • The Daily Smile Podcast
    • Everyone needs a reminder about just how good people can be. On Wondery’s The Daily Smile, host Nikki Boyer brings you stories that will make you feel good each weekday morning. With interviews, inspiring clips, and chats with special guests and passionate friends, The Daily Smile takes you on a journey into goodness, gives you all the feels, and will leave you with a smile on your face.

  • The Kindness and Happiness Connection Podcast
    • The Kindness & Happiness Connection is hosted by Dr. Elia Gourgouris – The Happiness Doctor and Randy McNeely – The Kindness Giver. Join them weekly with invited guests as we share actionable kindness and happiness tips, insights, and inspiration to promote personal and professional well being.

Important Kindness Dates:

November 13, 2022: World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. The purpose of this day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. This understanding has the power to bridge the gap between nations.

February 17, 2022: National Random Acts of Kindness Day

Random Acts of Kindness Day was first created in Denver, Colorado in 1995 by a small nonprofit organization, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. National Random Acts of Kindness Day falls within Random Acts of Kindness Week, which is February 13-19, 2022.

Top Kindness Quotes:

“Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.” – Charles Glassman

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” – Brad Melzer

“You’re never too important to be nice to people.”

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – The Dalai Lama

“A little spark of kindness can put a colossal burst of sunshine into someone’s day.” – Unknown

“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and more underrate agent of human change.” – Bob Kerry

“The world is full of kind people. If you can’t find one, be one.”

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana

See more kindness quotes here.

2022 Kindness Calendars:

  • My Kindness Calendar
    •  Premium-quality reusable wall calendars by My Kindness Calendar that inspire families to practice daily acts of kindness together.
  • 35 Random Acts of Kindness Calendar
    • A free printable by the Pragmatic Parent that has 35 simple tasks that only take a few minutes, don’t cost a thing and can instantly turn someone’s day around.

Top Kindness Hashtags to Use:

#MakeKindnesstheNorm #bekindtooneanother #kindnessmatters #actsofkindness #kindnessquotes #gratitude #loveothers #bekind #kind #kindpeople #actofkindness #compassion

Kindness Activities for Kids:

Inspiring Kindness Stories:

Kindness Activities for all Ages:

I know this was a lot of information to get through, so if you made it this far thank you!! My hope is that you can bookmark or “pin” this page for future reference. Have a great rest of your week!

Happiness

My Goal to Give Away One Million Flowers

by happsters6 Comments on My Goal to Give Away One Million Flowers
My Goal to Give Away One Million Flowers

There’s nothing like picking a rose, artichoke, or carrot from your own garden. Fruits and veggies somehow taste sweeter than what you pick up at the store. Instead of eating on the run, you tend to stop everything when you bite into a juicy strawberry that you grew yourself. You study the range of colors you can see in just a single dahlia. There’s a sense of awe knowing that it came from right outside!

Once I started gardening more often in 2020 (hello, pandemic!), I quickly realized that I had more food and flowers than my husband and I knew what to do with. I thought back to the year before when one of my favorite things to do was host surprise flower giveaways for people in my community. There’s a magic about flowers that connects people, brings a genuine smile to their face, and really just lights them up. That was when the idea was born to create a “Giving Garden” called “The Flower Remedy.”

Right now, I use 3 garden beds to grow all kinds of flowers including cosmos, amaranth, dahlias, ranunculus, anemones, sweet peas, snapdragons and more to create bouquets to give away. I’m adding 4 more beds to the backyard very soon and can’t wait to have more space to grow.

The goal is to give away 1 million flowers. Many of the flowers I give are from my own garden, but I also work with other local gardeners and a market that is kind enough to offer me their leftover flowers that haven’t sold.

We give flowers to a variety of different local community members including:

  1. Seniors
    • We work with local senior living homes and seniors centers to give flowers to their residents and members. Recently, we gave 50 flower bouquets to seniors who tested positive for COVID.
  2. Those who are grieving a loved one
    • We give flower bouquets to locals who have recently lost a loved one. We have a sign-up form on the Flower Remedy website so that their family/friends can nominate them to receive a bouquet.
  3. Hospitals
    • We deliver flowers to hospitals for patients going through a hard time.

I’m lucky to have an amazing group of two types of volunteers for the project. The first type of volunteers are gardeners who offer up their extra flowers to create bouquets. The second type of volunteers are community members who love flowers and want to give back. They help with putting together flower bouquets and delivering them.

Are you interested in giving flowers to your local community? Here are some tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way:

  1. Use old jars as vases. Some of my favorite vases are old coconut water glass bottles, pasta sauce jars, and salsa jars.
  2. Join your local “Buy Nothing” Facebook group and post in the group asking your community if anyone has any old vases or jars that they don’t want anymore. I’ve received probably 90% of my vases from this group!
  3. If you don’t have enough flowers to give away in your garden, ask a local grocery store if they ever give away their flowers that they can’t sell anymore. Usually independent grocery stores are open to giving away their flowers that are slightly past their prime. Just take out the flowers that aren’t in perfect condition and re-work them into bouquets using the best-looking flowers of the bunch.
  4. Decide who you want to give to and reach out to a local organization who works with that demographic. They are usually thrilled to receive the flowers and can help with coordinating to make sure the flowers go to the appropriate people.
  5. Add a tag on the vase with a nice note that will help brighten their day even more!

Are you a gardener or are you interested in gardening? Comment below with any questions you have about gardening or gifting flowers!

animals, Happiness, Puppy Friday

Puppy Friday + Amazing Dog Stories

by happstersLeave a Comment on Puppy Friday + Amazing Dog Stories
Puppy Friday + Amazing Dog Stories

A few years ago, I started posting cute dogs on my Instagram feed on Fridays because who couldn’t use a little puppy pick-me-up?! Today, I thought it would be fun to do Puppy Friday here too. Enjoy!

1. “He saw us feeding the ducks so he pretended to be one.”

Source

2. “Oh to be a yellow lab napping on a windowsill overlooking a canal in Bruges.”

Source

3. “Every time I’m in the shower my dog stares at me, worried, and he must assume I’m upset in here (because he hates baths) so he thinks if he drops his toy in that I’ll feel better.”

Source

4. “I bought a mini toy laptop for my dog. So he can at least look like he’s helping support this family.”

Source

5. “We were taking pictures of my dad for his birthday and then my dog did this. Truly man’s best friend.”

Source

And now onto some amazing dog stories that were recently shared with me!

First up is Shala’s smart pup about her extra smart (phone) dog!

“My last service dog knew how to find my phone. I only ever asked him to [do] this in the house. One day me and a friend walked our dogs in this 3 acre field. We get back late and then I realize I don’t have my phone. It’s 9PM and about to rain. My dog is dead tired because he ran the entire time. He gets up, trots along with me as I search the house, no phone. I decided to check this pitch black field with no light. We got there and on a whim I said go find my phone. He went straight to it and picked it up. I went to the store and bought him a steak.”

Now onto Erica’s story about her dog, the fierce protector:

“My parents live on a dead end road. My sisters and the 2 kids my mom babysat at the time were outside riding scooters in the road between our house and our grandma’s next door. All of a sudden, my mom and I hear what sounded like thunder, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Then we see 2 scared horses and a donkey coming towards us. My mom yells for me and my sister to get in the woods that were right on the other side of the road, she ran [to] grab the little kids and told them to get in our grandma’s house real quick and then came back to check on me and my sister. So I’m standing in the woods and I look and Chandler (the dog) is standing in front of them stopping them from coming at us and he just looks back at us to make sure we’re OK and then barks and runs them in the opposite direction of us…He was such a good boy.”

Next are Karina’s two pups on a walk:

“When I was a teenager (many years ago) I took both my dog’s out for a walk. They both somehow got loose and took off running with their leashes dragging behind them. One dog caught up to the other dog, grabbed the leash with its mouth and walked back to me with his brother in tow.”

Finally, here’s Lisa’s story about her mom and their German Shephard:

“My mom told me that before I was born her and my dad lived in a small house by a creek. My mom went on a walk with our German Sherphard, Moses, around the property after some really heavy rain. The creek has flooded pretty severely. Well apparently [my mom] had gotten too close and fell in. Our Moses was able to help drag her out of the water. She sears that he saved her life. Otherwise there was no way she could’ve gotten out. It was in the country and my dad was at work. I great up with that dog and he lived to be 17 years old. He was the best.”

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Puppy Friday! Let me know in the comments if you have your own pup and if she’s ever done anything heroic!

Happiness

12 Monthly Mirror Messages

by happsters8 Comments on 12 Monthly Mirror Messages
12 Monthly Mirror Messages

Today, I want to talk about a project I’m doing for the first time this year that I call “Monthly Mirror Messages.” This project is pretty simple and is exactly what it sounds like. Each month, I’ll tape an affirmation on my mirror to motivate me during those 30 days. Then on the first day of the next month, I’ll switch out one affirmation for another one. That’s it! Here are the step-by-step instructions if you’d like to do it yourself:

  1. Write down 12 affirmations (one for each month of 2022), each on its own small piece of paper.

Here are the affirmations I chose:

  • I make a difference in the world by simply existing in it.
  • I focus on what I can control and I let go of what I can’t.
  • I attract positive people and experiences into my life.
  • Success follows me.
  • I am the master of my abundance.
  • “I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.” – Louise Hay
  • The perfect moment is this one – Jon Kabat-Zinn
  • I am full of energy and optimism. I am ready to have fun.
  • Creativity runs through me and leads me to great ideas.
  • I don’t chase. What belongs to me will simply find me.
  • I listen to my intuition and trust my gut.
  • I am well-rested and excited for a fun day.

Looking for others? You can get great ideas for affirmations by searching Pinterest for “inspiring affirmations,” “affirmations for self love,” “affirmations for confidence,” etc.

  1. Optional: Decorate the pieces of paper around the affirmation. You can add paint, doodles, stickers, or whatever you’d like or keep it simple. I glued some dried flowers from my garden onto the paper and used those as the art.
  1. Put every affirmation card into a bowl or jar.
Beautiful bowl created by Elise Joy
  1. At the beginning of each month, choose one affirmation at random. I believe that whichever one you happen to choose will be the perfect one for that month.
  2. Use washi tape or clear tape to put it on your bathroom mirror where you’ll see it when you brush your teeth every day. Say that affirmation out loud or to yourself every day.

Curious if there’s science that backs affirmations? I was too. I was pleasantly surprised that there is quite a bit of good research on daily affirmations. Here are a few benefits of using affirmations:

  1. Affirmations have been shown to decrease health-deteriorating stress (Sherman et al., 2009; Critcher & Dunning, 2015)
  2. They have been used effectively in interventions that led people to increase their physical behavior (Cooke et al., 2014)
  3. They may help us to perceive otherwise “threatening” messages with less resistance, including interventions (Logel & Cohen, 2012)
  4. They can make us less likely to dismiss harmful health messages, responding instead with the intention to change for the better (Harris et al., 2007) and to eat more fruit and vegetables (Epton & Harris, 2008)
  5. They have been linked positively to academic achievement by mitigating GPA decline in students who feel left out at college (Layous et al., 2017)
  6. They have been demonstrated to lower stress and rumination (Koole et al., 1999; Wiesenfeld et al., 2001).

Have you ever created affirmation cards or mirror messages for yourself? Do you plan to? Tell me in the comments section!

Living with Kindness Interview

P.S. Living with Kindness interviewed me recently about what I call the 4 G’s of happiness. Check it out here.

Happiness

Hi, I Miss You

by happsters1 Comment on Hi, I Miss You

Well it’s been a minute since I’ve pressed “publish” on a Happsters blog post and I’ve really missed you guys. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever write here again. I had a loop of “does anyone even read blogs anymore?” and “Is blogging dead?” running through my mind whenever I’d think about it, but eventually I decided that there’s something about a free-form blog post that makes my heart sing that I don’t get from posting on social media.

I’m also a big fan of reading blogs myself. Right now I can’t stop reading “Cup of Jo.” Have you read it? I’ve gone back further in her archives than I’d like to admit and shed more than a few tears reading the stories she publishes. There’s something about her posts about everyday life, connection, and life’s little moments that I keep coming back to every week. She’s a big part of the reason I ended up returning to this small corner of the internet. Thank you for the inspiration, Jo!

And the good news is….drum roll please…this post isn’t just a one-time only thing! 🙂 There will be 50 blog posts published here on happsters.com in 2022.

Thanks to Jo and my love of goal-setting, I’ll be going from 1 blog post in 2021 (this one) to 50 in 2022. It may seem like a big leap, but I’ve been wanting to set a goal for 2022 and ruled out running a 5K (maybe I’ll walk one!) and writing a book (saving this one for another year!), so blogging it is. I love writing, being creative, and connecting with you and I’m excited to get back to blogging again. I hope you’ll follow along!

Here are the types of posts I’m hoping to share in 2022:

  • Stories from readers and myself about connection, kindness, friendship, family, and finding joy
  • Posts and links from around the web centered around the 4 G’s of happiness: growth, gratitude, giving and gathering
  • Interviews with experts on all of the topics listed above
  • Lots and lots of cuddly and cute animal content – I’m taking “Puppy Friday” to the next level!

If you have a story that you think would be good for the blog, please email me at happsters@gmail.com so we can chat!

Image via MemesMonkey.com

Are you setting any goals for the coming year? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below letting us all know so we can hold each other accountable 🙂

Uncategorized

Happsters Gratitude ABC’s Challenge

by happstersLeave a Comment on Happsters Gratitude ABC’s Challenge

WELCOME TO THE (2)

Raise your hand if you’re in for a gratitude challenge!! It’s all going down August 15th-September 9th.

Why gratitude? Here are just a few reasons. Gratitude:

  • lowers stress levels
  • helps you sleep better
  • improves self esteem
  • and can even help you manifest your dreams. 

Will you join me in giving thanks?

All you have to do is write down one thing you’re grateful for that starts with a different letter of the alphabet every day. That’s what it’s called the ABCs challenge :).

This free challenge starts next week! Every day I will post a new prompt with the letter of the day and ideas for words that go with each letter in case you can’t think of anything. You’ll also have the support of the Happsters community to help get you through the challenge.

Fill out this form if you’re in so I can send you all the details:  https://goo.gl/forms/d3orTpZifQ6jI3H43

Happiness, Happiness Interviews, Happsters Happy Questions, Uncategorized

Lindsey & Krista from Almost 30 on Friendship, Passion & Wellness

by happsters1 Comment on Lindsey & Krista from Almost 30 on Friendship, Passion & Wellness

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When I learned about the Almost 30 podcast a few months ago, I listened to it immediately and loved every second of it. I knew from the very beginning that these girls were my kind of girls. Definite “Happsters” at heart!

They are so down-to-earth and interview the most amazing guests on everything from the juice craze to psychic mediums to hormones in a fun and compelling way. I was excited when the podcast hosts, Krista (blogger at The Hundred Blog) and Lindsey (actress, singer, model and SoulCycle Instructor) agreed to an interview. Krista and Lindsey answered separately, so you can see both of their responses to each question below! Enjoy ♥♥♥

1. I love love love your podcast, Almost 30! Why did you decide to start it?

LINDSEY: Krista and I were introduced by a mutual friend who knew that we would connect immediately.  Our friendship is SO DAMN EASY.  We have supported each other and have been one another’s sounding board from day one.  Almost 30 was inspired by our deep chats about who, what, and where we are, as well as hilarious recollections of our early 20’s.  We are both obsessed with finding the experts and guru’s, the practices and habits, the products and innovative ideas that will help us to be the best versions of ourselves.  Sharing this with our listeners has been the BIGGEST GIFT.

KRISTA: That means so much ☺ we love you. I can’t even remember the genesis behind starting the podcast, but we recorded for a few months in a closet before we shared anything. I have been a podcast fan for years, and felt like there wasn’t a podcast out there that spoke to women in their twenties and thirties about bettering themselves and navigating life’s transitions. We also wanted to bring together a community of women who could support and encourage each other (that’s our secret Facebook group!).

2. How did you two meet?

LINDSEY: As I mentioned above, through a mutual friend!  What’s funny is that we both lived in NYC before LA…and then both settled on the west side.

KRISTA: Through SoulCycle! I was auditioning to be an instructor and Lindsey offered to help me out with my audition. After I moved to LA from NYC, I remembered how cool she was and asked her to hang out. We knew instantly that we had something special. Lindsey and I are super similar because we have the same dreamer mentality, plus we work wayyyyy too hard.

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3. What has been the biggest thing you’ve learned since starting the podcast?

LINDSEY: I’ve learned that when I am passionate about something and I have a clear vision, I have the power to commit and follow through.  In the past, I had convinced myself that I should be grinding and miserably over-worked in order to achieve what I wanted.  The moment I realized that the space between A and B was the best part, that I could actually enjoy the process and thus be inspired to create even more, was the moment I felt free to unapologetically take pride in my path.

KRISTA: Podcasting has taught me so much! It makes me feel like there is something out there for everyone and to have faith that if you persist to do what you want to do. It may not be the first or second thing, but to keep trying. I LOVE my blog, The Hundred Blog, but knew I wanted to incorporate something else. I would have never done the podcast if I didn’t blog for a few years prior. Also, we’ve had the greatest guests on the podcast ever so each time we record I learn so much. As an example, in the Be Well By Kelly episode, I learned about incorporating the ‘Fab Four’ into your diet: Protein, Fiber, Fat and Greens. I try to incorporate that in most meals that I eat!

4. Do you have morning routines? If so, what are they?

LINDSEY: Oh, yes!  When I wake up, I put my phone in my night stand drawer for 30 minutes.  Within those 30 minutes, I will:

  • meditate on my little balcony
  • write three affirmations that I will turn to throughout the day
  • write down three things I’m grateful for
  • write down three things I will get done today
  • take my vitamins
  • make tea or a small amount of cold pressed coffee with a lot of almond milk
  • make a healthy breakfast

By then I am awake and have a clear sense of how I want to feel today.  Then I can hop on my phone and computer and start to tackle the day!

KRISTA: I do! I am in love with a good morning ritual. It’s super important and sets the tone for your entire day. I would much rather get up early than sleep in and feel late any day. I don’t keep my phone in my room, so my alarm in the kitchen will most likely wake me up. I get up around 5:30 AM and once I do, I’ll take a moment to put my hand over my heart and say thanks. Thanks for waking me up, for my house, for everything! After that I’ll drink warm lemon water (because people have said it works, ha) and then I’ll meditate on the couch for 10 minutes. I usually do a TM meditation and if I can’t get into it, I’ll just do affirmations. After that I’ll leave and go workout (I always get them in early) and then have breakfast when I return. Usually a protein shake + avocado + collagen + pearl powder + maca. I love Sun warrior Protein in Vanilla or Vega Sport (super smooth and delicious).

5. When you’re having a bad day, how do you pull yourself back up?

LINDSEY: A great workout never fails to raise my vibration.  It helps me to shake up any mental, physical, creative, or emotional blocks I might be experiencing. I also love being by water when I’m feeling off. Water is so calming and humbling to me, so I will usually take a walk on the beach to reset and recommit to the day.

KRISTA: Meditation really helps me to navigate any bad day. It’s changed my life in that way. I know that if I do have a bad day, or a bad week, that it’s temporary and it won’t last forever. I also don’t attach myself to the feeling. So if I am stressed for some reason, practicing un-attachment really helps me to stay happy. I remember that feeling just ‘is’ and it’s not Krista. Or I’ll have a good vent session with my sister because what else are sisters for?

6. What is your favorite mantra that continues to be relevant in your life and why?

LINDSEY: My potential is greater than any problem I have.

My dreams are big. As I pursue them my mind tends to create problems, because, well, that’s what the mind does. It tries to protect me by looking for what could go wrong or what isn’t so perfect in the moment. This mantra/affirmation reminds me that the problems are specifically for me and I am more than capable of finding flow in any situation.

KRISTA: My mantra is ‘I am’, which reminds me to always ‘be’ wherever I am, and that I can always consider myself at home. I repeat it whenever I need to be reminded to be more present. I also use it when I am saying my affirmations, I’ll use ‘I am…’ then add whatever I need to hear that day like “strong” or “golden” or “love.” After I meditate, I always do a few affirmations before I start my day.

7. Do you have any wellness rituals that you swear by?

LINDSEY: I’m learning that if I don’t take care of me now, I will be useless for my dreams later.

  • massage every two weeks
  • facial every three weeks
  • move my body every day
  • YOGA YOGA YOGA
  • I sleep with my crystals (placing the appropriate crystals on my chakras to balance and ground me)

I use Saje essential oils before bed and to wake up in the morning!  “Cleanse” is one of my favorites. I put it on the bottom of my feet before bed and I AM KNOCKED OUT and feel amaaaazing in the morning!!

KRISTA: Honestly I have tried them all. Everything under the sun! I love trying new things, seeing how good I can feel and experimenting! I’ve tried LED Light Therapy, Cupping, Acupuncture, Reiki, Crystal Therapy, Cryotherapy…to name a few! This is so weird, but I swear by not taking birth control, ha. I stopped taking it 5 years ago, and have never felt better. My mood improved, I felt clearer, and my hair, skin and nails looks so much better – especially my hair! It’s never been so thick. I have the copper IUD which is amazing and non-hormonal. Once I got off birth control, I was also able to pay close attention to my hormone levels and feel so much more connected with myself.

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8. You two have such a great bond. Do you have any tips on how others can find friends as adults?

 LINDSEY: Such a good question. It is so important that you follow what makes you happy and what fills you up.  You will find like-minded people there. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware of what my authentic self feels like. The more I stand in that truth, the more people I attract who have similar goals, visions, love, light, and balance.

KRISTA: YES. Definitely. A lot of the way that Lindsey and I met I felt like was divine timing. It helps that at this stage we know who we are and have similar interests. Along with that, we have a deep respect for the other person. Not only do I love Lindsey, but I respect her. She’s someone I would introduce to my parents, my lifelong friends, and my co-workers because you want to be around people that you’re proud to know. If you’re looking for to listen to you complain all day about your job you hate, how will that serve you? Find people you want to be like and be friends with them. You can also find friends as an adult by doing things you love, and standing in your light, you’ll attract the right people. I found Lindsey through SoulCycle and through that activity I did for me, I was given this friendship.

9. Do you think finding “balance” is possible? If so, what are your tips on finding balance in your life?

LINDSEY: At this point in my life, balance means working really hard and loving it.  I think balance will mean something different at various stages in my life. Right now I am happy and fulfilled in the work that I do, so that feels balanced.  I have a wonderful group of friends, but I also truly value my alone time…that feels balanced. Krista and I are contributing so much to the podcast and putting in so many hours, but we are also having a blast and receiving so much from it. #ALMOST30NATION makes us so happy. That is balance.

KRISTA: I love this question! I do believe that you can ‘have it all,’ but ‘balance’ I am not so sure! Both are in the eye of the beholder. I would not say that anyone in my life thinks I live a balanced life, but I’m so happy! I work 7 days a week – I have a 9-5, my blog and podcast. I don’t watch TV or relax much, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh and if you think that you can have it all, you will. I believe that I have everything in my life that I need, and the universe responds to that by actually giving me everything I need.

Also with balance, I’m vegan and gluten free both by choice and don’t drink alcohol at all. But again, this is what makes me feel good and happy.

If there’s something that’s telling you that you’re not living a balanced life, then listen to that, but not to anyone else that could tell you that your life is unbalanced. I’ve had moments where I’ve pushed myself a little too far and I make sure to note that and chill out for a few days.

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You can find Krista and Lindsey online at www.almost30podcast.com. You can also follow them on Instagram at @almost30podcast and be sure to join their secret Facebook group where all the good stuff goes down here.

This interview is part of Happsters Happy Questions, an ongoing series of interviews that take a peek inside the lives of inspiring women around the world.

Uncategorized

Katie Brauer on Connection, Identity and The Power of Rest

by happsters1 Comment on Katie Brauer on Connection, Identity and The Power of Rest

Today marks the start of a series called “Happsters Happy Questions,” where I feature incredibly inspiring women once a week. In these interviews, we’ll dive deep into how these women got where they are today, what drives them and get their advice on how to lead happy, healthy lives.

I’m delighted to start this series with Katie Brauer. Katie happens to live just down the street from me, so I got the chance to sit down and connect with her in person for the interview.

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Photo via @micaelamalmi_photography

Katie has a calming energy and I immediately felt at home as we chatted. She is an entrepreneur, educator and personal transformation expert and I was extremely impressed by her ability to eloquently tell me her fascinating life story with ease. Enjoy ♥♥♥

1. Tell us a little bit about your background.

I have always been fascinated by the body and human potential. I started out as a professional snowboarder and suffered a lot of injuries throughout my 7 year career, which provided me the opportunity to study a whole lot of things that I was interested in. The first time I blew my ACL out and needed a full reconstruction, I went to massage school and fell in love with bodywork, during my next bout of down time from injury, I did a 2 year program in classical Pilates. Pilates was a huge part of my rehab and became complimentary to snowboarding. When I had to have my second ACL reconstruction, the rehab wasn’t working and my swelling hadn’t gone down, so I decided to try to understand what was going on the inside. I went to the Vail library and started reading books on chakras, the energy body and emotional wounding and experimented with visualization and meditation. While I previously didn’t love yoga, once I started doing these things, I began seeing yoga as a mind body practice as opposed to just a physical practice. I’ve been down the mindfulness and yoga rabbit hole ever since.

Eventually I combined everything I learned from yoga, Bio Dynamic Craniosacral Therapy, classical Pilates, functional movement, Therapeutic Massage, Somatic Experiencing, trips to India and personal experiences to create my own teacher training program and worked to build out my yoga programming and approach. I’ve trained thousands of teachers over the last decade, have owned my own yoga studio and served on the Executive Team of the fastest growing boutique yoga company, Yoga Six.

Over the years, what kept coming back to me was that I needed to follow what I love to do instead of just doing what I’m good at. I figured out that:

1) I love connecting with and supporting people
2) I love educating
3) I love providing people with tools and resources to feel more aligned and alive

My career has followed a very natural evolution and I have no idea what is around the next corner, currently I am focused on two major areas of my business: I just launched The Yoga Professional™ and provide education, inspiration + a modern approach to supporting the evolution of Yoga Teachers to rise as Professionals that sets them up for long term career and financial success. While I was training yoga instructors, I learned that every yoga teacher I came into contact with wasn’t making the money they desired and didn’t know what steps to take to get there. Now I help yoga instructors with the business component of their careers with group coaching and masterminds.

The other leg of my business is focused on educating and supporting women in living an empowered life and teaching them how to skillfully ride the highs and lows through modern mindfulness techniques.

Editor’s note: See the last question to get more details on how Katie empowers women through her online program starting soon!

2. You’ve accomplished A LOT in your life. What do you believe is your greatest accomplishment both professionally and personally?

Personally, it would be my relationship with my mom because it wasn’t good for a long time and there was a lot of wounding on my part (I’m a highly sensitive person). I just can’t believe where we were and where we are now. I think that is a testament to how important the internal work is and our responsibility as individuals to pick up the carpet, look underneath it, and deal with what’s there.

Professionally, I’m proud of the fact that I make a multiple six figure salary doing something that I love. When I tell people I’m a yoga teacher and coach, many people “poo poo” it and it just makes me smile. It’s been interesting to observe the change in my identity along the way. From the identity of being a pro snowboarder to feeling pressure to moving on after my injuries to get a real job with a title to where I am now. There have been many different identities along the way as my jobs have changed, but what I have learned is the title doesn’t matter, but what you are doing, the impact you are having and the contribution you are making does.

3. Do you have a morning routine?

The first thing I do when I wake up is lie there for a few moments to check in with my body and notice how I am feeling. I notice how I’m feeling physically, energy-wise and emotionally. I ask myself “what do I need right now?” and do what I feel in that moment instead of doing the same exact routine every day.

My husband is in the military, so a lot of times he’s gone and I generally spend about 30 minutes hanging out with my daughter in bed. She’s starting to talk and that time with her is so amazing. Then I usually drink a big glass of lemon water and coffee, make my daughter breakfast, and we go hang out in the backyard together.

My old routine was wake up and get up right away. There was no pause and transition time, but now that I have my daughter in my life, my mornings are very spacious and not rushed.

4. Has being a mom changed how you’ve run your business?

It has heightened my awareness around the impact that my actions have on others. My daughter is almost 2 now and she’s modeling after me the same way that I modeled after my mom. I have a lot of incredible traits that my mom has, but I also have a lot of patterning that I learned from her like a “just get it done” and “keep going no matter what” mentality. Now after having my daughter, I think about how I show up for everything I do and how my actions impact other people.

5. What do you know now that you wish you could have told yourself 10 years ago?

Less is more. I know now how important rest is and that I need space for creativity. I know that by giving myself space, I’m able to tap into my best work. That’s a key piece instead of “go-go-go” all the time. I feel like something huge is on the horizon because I’m finally understanding that piece. I’m realizing that doing nothing doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing.

6. I heard you have a great program for empowered living starting soon. Can you explain what it is?

Absolutely. My Flourish Program for Empowered Living starts Wednesday the 10th of May. I run the program every spring and it takes place over 10 weeks. The program is online with an incredible group of women who come together each year. It takes them from where they now in their life in every category – spiritually, health, financially, relationships, socially, career – so that they have a snapshot of where they are now. I introduce them to my philosophy on life and help them get where they want to be in the categories where they don’t feel like they are a 10 out of 10. We’ll talk about how to enjoy the highest highs and navigate the lows. Every module I give them new tools and resources to use from the breath to conscious communication to mindfulness techniques. They complete the program being able to recognize patterns in their life that are not serving them, having the tools to change them and feeling more empowered. I like to call it a system software update for your life.

You can learn more about the program and sign up here: http://bit.ly/kbflourish. Get $50 off your registration with code “50OFF”.

Thanks so much to Katie for the inspiring interview! You can also follow Katie on Instagram at @katiebrauertransform.

This interview is part of Happsters Happy Questions, an ongoing series of interviews that take a peek inside the lives of inspiring women around the world.

Fitness, Happiness, Happiness Tips, Uncategorized

Top 5 Inspiring Snapchat Accounts to Follow

by happstersLeave a Comment on Top 5 Inspiring Snapchat Accounts to Follow

Top 5 Inspirational Snapchat Accounts to Follow

Snapchat is my new obsession. I cannot get enough of the behind-the-scenes looks at peoples’ lives. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that it isn’t easy to find inspirational accounts to follow so I wanted to solve that problem! Here are 5 motivational and inspirational Snapchat accounts you should follow.

1) LoveSweatandFit
Katie is a southern California fitness professional and blogger who kills it on Snapchat. I love watching her days whether she’s filming a new YouTube video or just showing what her grocery haul is and chatting about her favorite products. Love her! Add her at: LoveSweatandFit

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Screenshot this to add LoveSweatandFit on Snapchat

2) MichelleObama
Michelle Obama recently just got her own Snapchat account. I love her personality and have found it incredibly inspirational to peek into her life and see all the good she’s accomplishing in the world on a daily basis. Add her at: MichelleObama

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Screenshot this to add MichelleObama on Snapchat

3) SophiaBushSnaps
I’m a fan of Sophia Bush from her days on “One Tree Hill” and her Snapchat does not disappoint. She snaps lots of photos and videos on set of her TV show and highlights causes that she’s an activist for. Add her at: SophiaBushSnaps

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Screenshot this to add SophiaBushSnaps on Snapchat

4) Rachel_Brathen
Rachel Brathen is also known as “Yoga_Girl” on Instagram with 1.9 million followers. She gives a glimpse into her life being a yogini in Aruba with her husband and adorable dog. What you see is what you get with her and I love her down-to-earth real vibe. Add her at: Rachel_Brathen

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Screenshot this to add Rachel_Brathen on Snapchat

5) KelliDav
This is my Happsters Snapchat account! I post happiness Snapchat challenges, happiness tips and a peek into my daily life (which lately has a lot of art, my fiancé, friends, beach time, and neighborhood walks). Add me at: KelliDav

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Screenshot this to add “KelliDav” AKA Happsters on Snapchat

Happy snapping!
Kelli
P.S. I just realized all of these inspiring Snapchat accounts happen to be women – girl power!
Happiness, Uncategorized

Happy Quotes Delivered Straight to You!

by happstersLeave a Comment on Happy Quotes Delivered Straight to You!

I share a positive quote a day on my Instagram page with over 72,000 followers, but many of you have requested another way to access these quotes. So, here we go! If you don’t have Instagram or would simply rather have them delivered to you via email, this is your chance!

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Get the happiness boost you deserve.

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4 happy quotes a week.

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Inspiration delivered straight to you.

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