What You Missed from Our Work + Wellness Pop-up at Topshop
Looking good and feeling good = #2017goals
2016 was about balance, but this year the topic on everyone's mind is wellness. Sure, they go hand-in-hand, but we're widening our gaze.
Which is why we gathered at Topshop at the Grove LA last night to chat with Lizzy Okoro, the founder and EIC of BUNCH Magazine, Christina Topacio of Jig + Saw, Maya Washington, also known as Shameless Maya, and Tara Sowlaty and Jessie De Lowe co-founders of How You Glow.
The conversation veered from finding boundaries while pushing yourself to the bigger picture of wellness as vibrancy. Here our 5 of our favorite takeaways.
1. SHARE YOUR IDEAS
There is a fear that if you share what you're working on, someone will come along and snatch it up.
Lizzy Okoro says it isn't so. "Tell everyone your idea, no one will steal it," Lizzy told the audience. It keeps you accountable.
"Tell everyone your idea, no one will steal it."
Tweet this.
Christina echoed the sentiment. "If someone steals it, it was never yours to begin with; it was never going to pop off."
2. THE TECH ADDICTION IS REAL
Jessie, who in addition to How You Glow, works as an Art Therapist says that she's seen an upsurge in social media and tech addiction, and that it's not going away any time soon. To combat the blue screen haze craze, the glowing gal and mama-to-be practices a phone free bedroom. She doesn't have a bedside table, which makes keeping her phone out of her room at night easier.
"I don’t bring it in bed with me, it’s not allowed. If you don’t look at it right before you sleep and right when you wake up, there is 20 minutes of clarity," Jessi shared. She also urged attendees to find healthy boundaries in how, when, and why they are consuming content. "The digital world isn't real," she said, while acknowledging that it's still an integral part of our lives and businesses. "You can't see it and you can't smell it," she said about digital, making it all the more important to get outside.
photo credit: Josh Escueta
3. FIGURING OUT HOW TO 'THROW IN THE TOWEL'
Most of the women on panel had the ah-ha moment when they knew they had to leave one job to focus full time on their passion.
Christina recently shut down her blog of ten years, Profresh Style, to focus full time on her new Jig + Saw venture. "The money can't be the driver of any entrepreneurial dream," she told the crowd. "You'll always fall broke." Lizzy, who was working as a school admin during the day and BUNCH at night, had her moment when she knew she couldn't do both. "I was sucking at being an employee, sucking at BUNCH, I wasn't a good friend, a good girlfriend, and at that point I realized, I had to go." Qualifying, "Well, 'go' in 6 months, I couldn't afford it."
The Editor in Chief added, "When you literally. just. can't-- all the time, that's when it's time."
Jessie kept it simple but straight-forward. "If your job is making you physically ill," she shared, "it's time to go."
5. ABANDON DANGEROUS THINKING
Lizzy brought up the cult of busy and hashtag glorifications that take us down the dangerous rabbit hole of wanting to work all the time. "#sleepwhenimdead," shouldn't be a thing. She was burning the candle at both ends when a friend told her, "Listen, if you take a night off, go to the movies and your business fails, you need to get out of that business." It stuck with her.
Maya, who's social experiment with Shameless Maya and "shamelessly" promoting herself for 365-days was an act of truly accepting her whole self, told the crowd to "be aware of what’s trending, but be aware of what works for you."
"It’s so easy to get caught up in the hype, but you’re going to lose," she said.
photo credit: Josh Escueta
5. ACCEPT 'VICES'
The How You Glow gals are all about balance. Working out, eating healthy, and indulging. Jessie shared with the audience that they should "build in allowed vices, so it doesn't feel like you've messed up."
Paraphrasing Picasso, Tara told the audience one of her favorite pieces of advice is to "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist."
6. WITHOUT RISK... NO REWARD
Maya brought it home telling attendees, "You gotta give up to gain."
"You gotta give up to gain."
Tweet this.
"I had to give up so much," she shared about her career. "Personal relationships, sleep, everything came at a cost. So you need to evaluate what your priorities are, but also really examine yourself. You are in control of your life."
We are heading to NY next Thursday for at Work + Wellness panel at Topshop Soho. Get in on the convo and RSVP now! Space is limited.
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
How to Transition Your Work Wardrobe for Summer
Create your best workdrobe.
The weather is turning and so is your head toward key pieces for summer. Dressing in summer is more laid-back. Less austere. Which means it's time to ditch the black turtlenecks and leather jackets, but hold onto those black ripped jeans and bodysuits. You want office outfits that are comfortable, don't require extra AC, and have a casual Friday vibe to them, even on Mondays.
From adding in pastels and other light colors to the shoe-of-the-moment open back mule (backless is better!), there are easy ways to give your closet a minor update that don't break the bank. We're rounding up key pieces to add to your work wardrobe from TOPSHOP.
PULL OFF THE PASTEL
Fitted Suit Trousers. MOTO Denim Stripe Crop Top. Soft Tailored Jacket. KYLIE Backless Mule.
OFF-THE-SHOULDER IS OF THE MOMENT
To make the transition to summer brighten up the colors of your typical work wardrobe. From pastel pink off-the-shoulder tops and blue jeans with embroidered detailing to a stacked, lace-up neutral heel. Summer workdrobes are a bit more playful.
Structured Bardot Top. MOTO Embroidered Straight Jean. VIOLET Tassel Sandal.
LIGHTWEIGHT DUSTER IS A MUST-ER
The coat of summer, a lightweight duster has serious Great Gatsby '20s chicness and is the simplest way to dress up a pair of jeans. Plus you can thank the wardrobe gods that comfortable shoes are still being favored over stilettos. Slip on a pair of pink mules and give your toes a peak at sunshine.
Go Behind the Scenes of Our Brunch with Topshop
A brunch full of babes to kick-off the weekend!
Not even a little morning drizzle could dampen the mood at the kickoff Create & Cultivate x Topshop brunch at Estrella on Sunset in West Hollywood. It was florals and fun when the sun came out, and speakers, influencers, and bloggers enjoyed a preview of Topshop's Summer Collection as Carly Kuhn AKA @thecartorialist live-sketched illustrations of the fashionable brunchers. Click through the gallery below for snaps of ladies like Paola Alberi from Blank Itinerary, Teni Panosian, Marianna Hewitt from Life with Me, and some scrumptious "Bread Pudding" French toast.
Images courtesy of Irida Mete.