Health

4 Changes to Make Before You Start Trying To Get Pregnant

photo from the cherry blossom girl Lauren Zielinski CNM, MSN, RN is a Certified Nurse-Midwife, and the founder of a grassroots women’s health movement called New Moon Rising Events. New Moon Rising works in cities across the US to hold free, day-long workshops that foster discussion about reproductive health, political advocacy, natural medicine options, and community […]

Weekend Notes

Good morning, friends! Hope you’re all enjoying this chilly weekend and fitting in some fun and rest after the holidays. This past week was a mix of excitement to get back to work and kickoff new projects for 2018, combined with feeling kind of like a cold dose of reality to be at my desk […]

Merry Christmas (and a few great holiday reads)

Merry Christmas Eve, friends! Hope you’re having a cozy morning and that your day ahead is filled with love and joy. We’ve had a rocky start to the holiday – Henry (among other family members) came down with the flu a couple days ago, and there are few things sadder than a 2-year-old who feels […]

Is Birth Control Bad for You?

Lauren Zielinski is a Certified Nurse-Midwife, and the founder of a grassroots women’s health movement called New Moon Rising Events. New Moon Rising works in cities across the US to hold free, day-long workshops that foster discussion about reproductive health, political advocacy, natural medicine options, and community connections.  I. Feel. You. Navigating our option-overloaded world and […]

The Unexpected Thing I Learned From Doing a 5-Day Detox

How does that saying go, “You plan, God laughs?” This piece was supposed to be about my wonderful experience with a 5-day detox. And while it’s not too far off, I can’t help but laugh at the fact that I didn’t consider the detox might not go as planned, or the outcome would be much different than expected. You […]

Up Your iPhone Photography Game With These 5 Tips

We’ve all been there before. There’s a beautiful sunset right outside your window, or all your friends are finally together and you have to get a group pic, but then you’re disappointed when the photos you take on your phone never turn out quite like you thought they would. It’s no wonder our standards are […]

Weekend Notes: Stress-proof your holiday and take a social media break

Good morning, friends! Hope you’re all having a cozy holiday weekend. Ours has so far been full of all the clichés (decorating Christmas cookies, wrapping gifts, sipping hot cocoa by the fire), and I COULD NOT be happier about it. It feels like the season flies by in such a blur that I’m determined to […]

Do These 6 Things As Soon As You Start Feeling Sick

If having personal experience with sinus problems qualifies you to speak to the topic, I’m basically a medical doctor. All joking aside — I’ve suffered from regular sinus infections for as long as I can remember. Ask anyone else who deals with this and they’ll tell you, it’s a frustrating and unfair condition that can […]

8 Natural Beauty Products You Need In Your Life Right Now

I’ve been on a natural beauty product kick after attending a non-toxic skincare event last month, where I learned that many of the products I own and use on a regular basis are loaded with synthetics. Now, I’m not trying to overhaul my entire beauty collection at once and immediately toss the hundreds of dollars […]

Is This the Most Out-There Wellness Trend We’ve Ever Tried?

Have you ever tried to meditate? I’ve been trying to, and despite my best efforts to zero in on my breath, everything else seems to come up instead. I draft emails in my head, remember texts I need to send, plan appointments I need to schedule. It’s a common challenge, and if you’ve experienced it […]

The Surprising Benefits of Disappointment

Recently, I found out that a work project that I’d spent weeks preparing for wasn’t going to happen. The opportunity was scrapped for reasons out of my control, and when the news dropped into my inbox, I immediately felt that familiar pit deep in my stomach that always seems to accompany true disappointment. (Also, how […]

Weekend Notes

Happy weekend, friends! I woke up this morning to the sounds of thunder and rain on our roof, then snuggled back under the covers into a blissful sleep (that is, until Phoebe came in and turned on Scooby Doo at full volume. It was good while it lasted.) Our weekend has been full of baking, […]

5 All-Natural Ways to Treat Your Allergies

In Austin, the term “seven year itch” has a different meaning. You see, with all our beautiful trees and dry weather, the Hill Country is famous for unleashing a tornado of allergens onto its people every spring, and legend has it that Austinites begin to suffer the effects of those allergens after living in the region […]

So You Wanna Buy A House? Here Are 5 Things You Should Know

For me, houses have always been an obsession. It started around 1999, when my family made our big move from my parents’ “starter home,” to their “forever home.” And from that point on, I was often found feverishly scouring listings in the weekend paper, drawing floor plans in my bedroom late at night (such a […]

Weekend Notes

Happy October, friends! I got home last night after a whirlwind week in LA shooting something very exciting with Target (can’t wait to share!) and I have approximately one day to regroup before I fly back out tomorrow, and then on to NYC later in the week. I’ve never had a marathon travel schedule quite like […]

How to Find Your Original Voice

In 1972, social psychologist Irving Janis coined the term “groupthink”. He wanted to give a name to something he saw happening when people made decisions as groups. What he is observed was that the desire for harmony within the group caused people to oftentimes forgo their own creativity. If Janis were still here today, he’d […]

How Meditation Helped Me Turn My Passion Into A Career

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to us by Susan Chen. In addition to starting Soozy’s, the new healthy muffin company we’re all obsessed with, Susan is an expert teacher in Vedic Meditation, a simple and effortless mental technique. Her passion for the practice led her to India, where she spent 4 months immersed in the […]