This Major Factor Is Costing Employers Over $50 Billion Annually
Yeah billion with a b.
Patti Murin, who plays Anna in the Broadway production of Frozen took to her Instagram in April to address "calling out" of the previous night's show.
"So last night I called out of the show because I had a massive anxiety attack in the afternoon. It had been building up for a while, and while the past month has been incredible, all of the ups and downs and stress and excitement really takes a toll on my mental health. I’ve learned that these situations aren’t something to 'deal with' or 'push through.' Anxiety and depression are real diseases that affect so many of us. It requires a lot of rest and self care to heal every time it becomes more than I can handle in my daily life. While I hate missing the show for any reason at all, Disney has been nothing but supportive of me as I navigate my life and work, and I’m so grateful to them. Just remember that you’re not alone, your feelings are real, and this is not your fault. Even Disney princesses are terrified sometimes."
Nor are "Disney princesses" alone.
Millennials report higher rates of depression than any other generation and are now the biggest sector of the workforce, creating new challenges in work culture and mental health treatment. To boot, recent research shows depression is becoming more prevalent in younger women.
These mental health struggles are extending themselves into the workplace, with millennial and Gen Z women far more likely than their male counterparts to experience burn out and depression. It's both emotionally and financially costly.
Depression costs the U.S. economy more than $51 billion a year in absenteeism from work and lost productivity and $26 billion in direct treatment costs, according to mental illness nonprofit Mental Health America.
We tapped Dr. Lauren Hazzouri, Licensed Psychologist & Founder of The Practice, a foundation revolutionizing the way girls and women care for their emotional health, for her insight and she reminded that, "it's important to look at the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Millennials changed what the workplace looks like."
"Recognizing that entrepreneurship is a lifestyle rather than a job is an important part of understanding the pros and cons that come with the lifestyle. One of the most exciting yet often, detrimental parts of being an entrepreneur is the obsession that comes with putting all you’ve got into an idea of your own. That obsession can be isolating and harmful in multiple ways. Many entrepreneurs work alone much of the time. It’s hard to connect with others in a meaningful way when hyper-focused on a singular vision and purpose. Time is scarce for entrepreneurs, so self-care suffers. Financial insecurity often increases stress levels."
"With that said, entrepreneurial lifestyle patterns certainly do not cause mental health concerns, though they may contribute. As a community, we can offer discounts on gym memberships and sports leagues for entrepreneurs, taking a lead from the education system. For example, when children or adolescents are home schooled, they are encouraged to engage in the extra-curricular sports, arts programs, clubs, and other school activities provided by their home school district. Once we graduate, our human need for connection doesn’t decrease yet organized opportunities do. So, it’s important for entrepreneurs to integrate being human and being successful, according to society’s standards."
So what's a woman to do?
Get help. It was widely misreported that the late designer Kate Spade did not seek treatment out of fear that it would hurt her brand. However, according to a statement released by her husband, Andy Spade, that was not the case. "Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives," he wrote.
Educate yourself. During a 2009 lecture at Stanford University, Professor Robert Sapolsky told the room, "Depression is absolutely crippling. Depression is incredibly pervasive, and thus, important to talk about." He makes the argument that depression is "the worst disease you can get."
"It is bad news and it is becoming more common," he shared. "If I had to define major depression in one sentence, I would say, it's a biochemical disorder with a genetic component and early experience influences, where somebody can't appreciate sunsets." The room laughs. But, he says, "When you think about it, that is a very sad thing."
He explains that though, "we all get depressed," not everyone feels lousy and then copes. "There is this lurking sense given that all of us have periods of being depressed and come out the other end. When you look at people who go down and stay down.. there's always this little voice between the lines there--'Come on get better. We all deal with this sort of thing.'"
He furthers, "I will make the argument that depression is as real a biological disorder as is juvenile diabetes. And you don't sit down a diabetic and say, 'Oh come on, what's with this insulin stuff, pull it together.'"
Pull it together. It's probably a pep talk you've given yourself in a mirror. Pull. It. Together. Sometimes you can't.
Connect IRL. Dr. Lauren explains, "The increase in mental health concerns for millennials and Gen Z can be attributed to evolved gender expectations, increased screen time, and interpersonal stress perpetuated by social media. We mustn’t confuse connected ( via social media) for connection. As human beings, we need to connect with others in a meaningful way. We are social beings having a human experience, not visa versa.
She suggests, "that entrepreneurs work in community spaces, such as WeWork or my personal favorite, The Wing. Even without significant engagement with those around us, being in the company of others often feels better than being alone day-in and day-out. We are social beings having a human experience, not visa versa. We need each other to feel good."
Written By Arianna Schoildager
MORE FROM THE BLOG
Why Taking Your Vacation Days is Necessary
PTO FTW
Photo by Yoox
There’s a common misconception in American office culture that those who work the longest hours are the hardest working employees. Too often than not, vacation is seen as a luxury, instead of a right, and it's made it so that few full time working Americans are taking time-off.
In 2014, 42% of working Americans didn't take a single vacation day. NOT ONE. In 2013, Americans collectively squandered 169 million vacation days. A pattern that is taking its toll on workers, proving to have a negative ripple effect on employee mental health, productivity, even the economy. The United States is the only developed country in the world without a single legally required paid vacation day or holiday. By law, every country in the European Union has at least four work weeks of paid vacation. However, in a measure of labor productivity — GDP per hour worked — the U.S. is only marginally better than Germany and France, both developed countries that guarantee among the most vacation time.
Taking your vacation days is necessary. So don't be scared to ask (put those requests in writing now!).
"Studies have shown that the respite effects of a vacation can increase productivity, concentration, and creativity, by as much as 80 percent."
Tweet This.
Of course, there’s always going to be work to do and it might never feel like a good time to go, but you simply need to get ahead and make sure your teammates and clients are prepared for your absence. You need to be able to take breaks + treat yo self.
Today, there are even companies offering bonuses to employees who use their vacation days. (Sounds like a dream, right?) Speaking of a dream, we’re sharing swoon-worthy vacation looks from our friends at YOOX. They’re celebrating their birthday and have some hot offers to make your next tropical trip or summer staycation on point.
FUN IN THE SUN
The great thing about the sun? You can enjoy it anywhere. Plus, it makes you feel HAPPY. Currently crushing on these swimsuits for our next poolside PTO.
ISLAND TIME
Sometimes, you just need a post up on a tropical island + unplug from the mainland madness.
YOOX is giving away amazing prizes through a contest on yoox.com. Shoppers will be asked to spin a virtual wheel on YOOX to win a voucher to shop the site. Winners will be chosen every day until June 21st!
Those who don’t win will still receive the deal of the day (a different offer on a different product category every day).
What are your summer PTO plans? Sound off in the comments!
GIVEAWAY: Live Every Day Like A SUN Day
Practice safe sun.
Imagine the perfect Sunday: You go for a run in the park, pick up a green juice from your favorite health food store and take your family to the beach for an afternoon of swimming and sand castle building. By the end of the day, you feel exhausted but happy — radiant, even. A day in the sun will do that to you.
To celebrate summer and live every day like SUNday, we're giving sharing every day sun hacks & giving away FREE Neutrogena SUN Kits jam-packed with sun care goodies for you + your entire family. Use the form below to get yours!
EVERYDAY SUN HACKS
1. Easy as Brushing Your Teeth. A recent study found that when you keep your sunscreen next to your toothpaste, you’re 20% more likely to apply every morning.
2. Set an Alarm or Calendar Appointment on Your Phone: We all live busy, over-scheduled lives. Setting a daily SPF reminder will help get you in the habit. Bonus points if the alarm plays “Here Comes the Sun.”
3. Choose Makeup With SPF: While you’ll still need to layer sunscreen underneath, makeup with SPF will give you a little sun protection boost.
4. Pick a Formula You Like: This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you like applying your sunscreen — whether it’s a face lotion with SPF or an all-over stick — you’ll be more likely to use it.
5. Have Fun With It: Play your favorite song and dance along as you slather on your sunscreen. (Kids love this one, too!)
6. Go High: Research shows that higher SPF prevents a greater amount of sunburning rays from reaching your skin.
THE FIRST 100 CREATE & CULTIVATORS WILL RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY SUN KIT IN THE MAIL.
*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN CLOSED & WINNERS WILL BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY!
Join us in the movement to make every day a SUNday – share how you enjoy life under the sun with friends and family. #EverydayIsaSUNday
School of Side Hustle Lesson 3: Don't Just Build a Website. Build a Business.
The tools you need to turn your side-hustle into a full-time operation.
Hustle.
It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot. It’s part of what our Create & Cultivate x Weebly School of Side Hustle is about. And we see you. Working on your passion projects. Juggling a corporate career and your jewelry line.
Or if you’re Kelsey Kelley, founder of KKelly Designs, you’re juggling a 9-5 and your calligraphy biz. “I started KKelly Designs 3 years ago this month,” she shares. “My husband is very supportive of my side hustle and is my #1 encourager when things get hard. I also have a full time day job. I work in a mortgage office 9-5 every week day.”
As someone who has always loved, “drawing, painting, and doodling,” Kelsey says KKelly Designs happened out of a combination of two things: “my talent in art, and being too broke to afford gifts for people.” The struggle is real.
“I started addressing friend's wedding envelopes and painting their houses or pets as wedding/birthday gifts. We really didn't have ‘gifting’ in our budget when we got married,” she says of her time as a newlywed. “We were trying to pay off our student loans as fast as possible. Thankfully the additional income from KKelly Designs allowed us to pay off our loans this March - 6 years ahead of schedule!”
Which is nothing short of amazing. And that brings us to a critical turning point in our Create & Cultivate x Weebly School of Side Hustle series. You shouldn’t simply build a website, you should build a business.
Here’s why and how:
Watch: Lesson 3 Don't Just Build a Website. Build a Business
For Kelsey, KKelly Designs is built upon passion, sure, but she’s constantly learning ways to build her biz and make it better. “The hustle and the determination will set you apart,” she says. “I also believe investing in yourself and in your skill-set is huge. Whether it be by reading a book about your craft, attending a workshop/seminar or just investing time to watch YouTube tutorials! Keep pushing yourself to grow in your craft.”
Beyond growing your craft there’s also some starter business know-how that will help you expand into profitability, and perhaps, take the side-hustle and turn it into a full-time operation.
1. WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN
This is vital first step if you want the business to become something more than a side-hustle. Weebly has some amazing resources for you to checkout on how to write a business plan. Familiarize yourself with the basics below and then head to their blog where they explore the concept in more depth.
The first section is about articulating your business concept. This is where you explore your industry, your business structure, your product or service, and your plan for bringing in revenue.
The second section is about understanding your marketplace. This is where you describe potential customers and their buying habits. This section will describe and explore your marketing plan versus the competition.
The last section is about detailing your finances, where you outline your cash flow and income statements, financial projections, and investor details.
2. MONTHLY FINANCE REPORT
You can’t spend money and pretend it’s not happening. This is not your bank account during college years where your overdrawing your account was a monthly occurrence. That’s no way to run a profitable business.
Don’t let a month go by where you don’t examine your monthly spending. From there you can decide what sacrifices you have to make in variable expenses to meet your goal.
Maybe you’re spending too much on shipping. Perhaps you aren’t selling as much as you initially projected. Weebly can help with this. By using the tools already built into a Weebly sites functionality you can save money.
For example, Weebly can help you rescue a sale with an automatic abandoned cart email. Did you know that more than 69% of online carts are abandoned by shoppers? Use Weebly's abandoned cart emails to send an automated message to customers who drop out of checkout after a certain period of time. Weebly can also help you understand why users aren’t purchasing. Weebly Performance Plans allow you to track lost carts to better understand why shoppers aren't making purchases. Knowing this info just might help you close the sale, which, will ultimately shift those monthly finance reports into the green.
3. P&L SHEET 101
There are no guarantees-- that’s the name of business game since you’ve been tracking your monthly finances, you know this and you have an idea of your financial standing. However, you need to be able to track it all. What you’re spending money on. Where you’re not recouping your costs. From there you can adjust your spending for the following accordingly, and ideally, continue to turn a profit.
A Profit and Loss (P & L) statement measures a company's sales and expenses during a specified period of time, traditionally over the course of a fiscal year. The function of a P & L statement is to total all sources of revenue and subtract all expenses related to the revenue. It shows a company's financial progress during the time period being examined.
Kelsey, is confident in her choice with Weebly. “Weebly has been and still is so great for my business. It's affordable, convenient and super easy to navigate from a business owner's perspective and from the customers perspective. Someone once told me that if your website can pass the ‘mom test’ then you've got a good website.”
i.e. if mom or grandma can understand how to check out with no further instruction, it’s a winner. “Weebly,” Kelsey says, “passed the ‘mom test.’”
If your website can pass the ‘mom test’ then you've got a good website.
And if you’re thinking about the basics of time-value-money, Weebly allowed Kelsey to focus more on her art and “less time creating invoices and going back and forth with the customer about basic information about their orders.” This matters because your time as entrepreneurs is valuable. “I finally had one place where all of my information was gathered and where people could place their orders,” says Kelsey.
And she is committed. “A common trend between many successful side hustlers turned full-time business owners was their refusal to quit,” says the hustler. They don’t give up. “That has stuck with me through the times when it is hard and I feel like I am at a wall.” She relies on her ability to “just keep going forward and get back up when you get knocked down.”
Keep going forward and get back up when you get knocked down.
Kelsey is at the point where she could focus full time on KKelly Designs. “But,” she says, “I don’t want to be overconfident and go belly up. My end goal is to build a business that allows me to confidently work from home by the time we are ready for a family.”
That’s right. As this Lesson states, you need to build a business-- not just a website. “Nights are hard sometimes,” she says of her tendency to burn the midnight oil for KKelly Designs, “but, they are so rewarding because I can see my end goal in the distance.”
Have more questions, drop us a line below and we’ll get them answered!
Be sure to look back at Lesson One: Building a Brand Online, Lesson Two: From Concept to Commerce, and be sure to check in for Lesson 4: From Market, to Marketing!
MORE FROM THE BLOG
C&C Classifieds: J Public Relations, Halo Top Creamery, Girlgaze & More!
Dream job alert, hot off the market!
It's Wednesday and that means we're back with a sparkling list of hot new jobs fresh on the market. The job search can be hectic if you don't know where to start. Which is why we're here and listed them out just for you! From New York to Los Angeles, this week's classifieds list is full of opportunity.
Read through these job descriptions and tailor that resume for your dream gig.
P.S. We're hiring! Wanna join the C&C fam? Dive in below.
Create & Cultivate - LA
J Public Relations - Multi-City
Halo Top Creamery - LA, CA
GirlGaze - LA, CA
Riley Rose - LA. CA
Bare Minerals -NY, NY
WANT MORE? SEE OUR FULL LIST OF CLASSIFIEDS HERE.
MORE FROM THE BLOG
Guess How Often This Beverage Company Debuts A New SKU
Taking bets now.
Everyone is on the hunt for the next buzzy beverage to sip on. Companies like Suja know all about this.
The beverage brand is always working on its next product innovation. And in building Suja from a cold pressed juice company to a healthy beverage “master brand,” CEO and co-founder Jeff Church has instilled in the Suja team the importance of taking chances.
Over the company’s six years in existence, that bias toward risk-taking has become Suja’s calling card. Fueled by an innovation pipeline that debuts a new SKU every nine days on average, Suja has extended beyond its core juice line into categories like probiotic beverages, kombuchas and most recently making its debut with plant-based milks. Dedicated to consumer needs and demands, the company is setup to quickly adapt its offerings post-release based on consumer feedback and, in doing so, has learned a great deal about how to win-over fans with each new product they introduce to the market.
Innovation is the name of their game. Here are a few ways they stay in front of the market.
Probiotic Beverages: Probiotic functional beverages were first introduced to the market as a way to promote gut health but have since evolved to support overall wellness. As a response, Suja created Probiotic Vinegar Juices and Pressed Probiotic Waters to introduce their consumers to a new facet of beverages that the brand had yet to tap. The Probiotic Vinegar Juices (formerly Drinking Vinegars that launched in Sept. 2016) were born from Suja’s obsession with nutritious cold-pressed juice and digestive health and includes blends of organic Apple Cider Vinegar or Coconut Vinegar with the mother still intact, plus four billion live probiotics in every bottle. For a lighter option, in early 2016 Suja opted for Pressed Probiotic Waters enhanced with nothing but organic fruits, vegetables and vegan probiotics. At ten calories and one gram of sugar or less per bottle, Suja Pressed Probiotic Waters offer a subtle sweetness with no additives of any kind.
Kombuchas: While the brand was a bit late to the kombucha market, in September of 2017 Suja made up for it with the introduction of first-of-its-kind adaptogenic Organic Kombuchas boosted with functional adaptogens like reishi, ashwagandha and moringa. Combined with cold-pressed juice and 5 billion CFUs of vegan probiotics, these powerful herbal adaptogens are found in Suja's six varieties of non-alcoholic kombucha that are also organic and non-GMO with just 30 calories and 7 grams of sugar per serving.
Plant Milks: For the first time, Suja is entering the plant milk category with its latest innovation - Organic Plant Protein Milks. Suja’s new organic plant protein milks offer a comparable nutritional profile to dairy milk, but with more fiber and 50% less sugar. This premium, nut-free alternative features a creamy blend of pea protein, sunflower seed butter and flax seeds with no artificial or natural flavors. Enjoy straight from a glass or as a plant-powered base for cereal or smoothies.
What sounds good to you?
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
Professional Opinion: How to Take a Leap of Faith in Your Career
The time is now, take the leap.
Sometimes the toughest part of starting a new venture—or just starting anew—is the beginning. We often convince ourselves that we're not ready, not capable, not financially stable enough (and so on) to just go after what we really want. So we keep grinding away to live a life other than the one we should have. You hear it all the time. Nike most memorably captured the motto: Just Do It. Well, Creator + Author of You're Not Lost, Maxie McCoy did just that. As in, exactly what she wanted to do, and like many before (and after her), it was all okay. We can all learn a thing or two from Maxie (to that point, she'll be mentoring at #createcultivateCHI!), which is why we asked her to share her advice and adventures in just doing it. Trust us, you need this. Read on. —JM
Six months ago, I stood facing the Pacific on the other side of the world. My stomach was in my toes. My toes were in the sand. And there were “What have I just done?” tears in my eyes.
I had chosen to leap. To the other side of the world. To a business that was mine. To distance myself from what I knew and could count on in order to be closer to a dream...my dream.
Launching a business of my own had been in the making for a while, whether I consciously realized it or not. I had been making tiny, daily, decisions for years: writing publicly, developing content partnerships, hosting my first giveaway, talking about my dream, taping my first video, meeting with other entrepreneurs to talk about my work. Each of those steps felt big while they were happening, but they were really just preparing me for the big leap—the one that would lead to formalized services and digital products, hiring a team of help, and moving to Bali to make my business a reality.
Leaps of faith happen as much in the small moments as they do in the large ones. And your career requires that you take them. You won’t always know how they’ll turn out, but you’ll be stronger, wiser, and more successful because of your willingness to make them. You may have to stick affirmations all over your desk and mirror to get you over that threshold of fear and onto your path…but once you do you’ll never look back. The hardest part is the decision to leap, the rest is an exhilarating ride.
If you’re on the cusp of making a big change or taking a risk for the sake of your dreams, remember this:
LOOK FOR THE PIT IN YOUR TUMMY
Wait for feeling of nausea that just won’t budge when you think about the idea. Wait for the the thing that scares you. The one you immediately want to say “ah hell no to”—and then do that thing. It’s part of the (sh)ero journey to initially want to deny that call to do something bigger. That’s typically when you’re actually onto something. Summon every support system, affirmation, and pep talk you can to get your toes of the ground.
"wait for the thing that scares you—then do that thing."
YOU'LL NEVER BE FULLY READY
If you’re waiting until “you’re ready” to quit your job, start your side hustle, or make that phone call—you’ll be waiting a lifetime. There’s never going to be a good time to leap. When it’s bold, it won’t always be logical. But it’ll be right. The less you wait for being ready, the more ready you’ll be.
WRITE OUT YOUR DISASTER SCENARIO
What’s the worst that could happen? Literally—the worst. Detail the absolute worst scenario you can imagine if this leap of faith were to go terribly wrong. Get it out there. Read it. Think about it. Roll around in it. If you can take inventory of your worst case scenario and still be pretty OK with the choice, you’ll be even more propelled to jump. Getting groovy with my worst case scenario was one of the best tactics I had in getting the courage to do it. I knew that if I could mentally handle that, I could handle anything. And now that I’m on the other side of that leap? I didn’t even come close to my worst case scenario. It truly did all work out.
Big magic requires even bigger courage. Making a leap of faith for your career is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and your chances of success.
Maxie McCoy is the energy designer of Maxie, where she shares soul wisdom on the digital video series #maxie and her weekly writings. If you want your spiritual and emotional IQ shooting to the stars, Maxie is the place to be.
Let Maxie be your guide to unlocking your brilliance by following along at maxiemccoy.com. Maxie offers soul sessions, workshops, one-on-one coaching, and words of wisdom you really shouldn't miss. And get tickets to #createcultivateCHI to land a seat a our Mentor Power Hour with Maxie.
Studio DIY's Kelly Mindell Shares Her Summer Traditions
Tiny human. Big summer fun!
Simple summer pleasures are upon us. No matter what your job, summer is the season of FUN. But work does not wait for summer -- unfortunately. With the bulk of the summer ahead of us (YAY!), we're teaming up with Old Navy to tap on-the-go moms across the country to find out how they squeeze more fun out of summer in their cities - while keeping that to-do list managed and inboxes at a minimum.
SUMMER FUN IN LA LA LAND
Los Angeles blogger Kelly Mindell of Studio DIY shares her summer fun hacks with her son below.
How does your family “squeeze more fun” out of summer?
We've instated "Family Fridays" in our house so we get to spend Fridays doing fun activities with our son, Arlo! Sometimes we'll go on a big adventure to Disneyland or just a quick one to our local park, but it's so nice to squeeze in that extra day together!
SHOP THE MINDELL FAMILY OLD NAVY SUMMER LOOKS HERE
What are some of your favorite picnic memories or summer traditions?
We picnicked everywhere in the summer. We lived a block away from the park so we were there ALL the time but we also took picnics to the town pool or the beach. My mom is the one person I know who doesn't like a pb&j. But she'd make it for me, for every picnic. Strawberry jam, crustless and diagonally cut, obviously! It's always the little things you remember most, right??
As an entrepreneurial mom, there’s a lot of pressure to be plugged in + online. Why is it important for you to make family memories in the summer?
Summer felt so magical as a kid and I am so excited to recreate that feeling for my children. A few years ago, my mom recently gifted me 25 years worth of scrapbooks documenting every memory and major moment of my childhood. It is my most treasured gift! I hope to do the same for Arlo so we're trying to be better about taking our real camera with us instead of our phones, so we don't feel the need to also check in on emails while capturing some of these memories for him!
Do you have any favorite summer traditions? What is your go-to activity for summer fun with the family?
I grew up in New Jersey, so every summer we took a long family trip to the shore. We stayed at the same hotel every time and saw the same friends every single year. It was such a fun tradition and we all looked forward to it. While we now live on the other side of the country, we're looking forward to finding our "spot" here on the west coast and starting that tradition this year!
Vacations are wonderful but they can also be hard work to plan. Do you have any family vacay planning tips?
The biggest thing I've learned about traveling with a little one is that you have to take things a bit slower! We like to pick just one thing a day we want to do, see or eat and let the rest of the day fall into place from there. That way, if we fit in more in a day it feels like a bonus! Plus, we are able to keep our family on somewhat of a schedule so the transition back to real life is easier, too!
The biggest thing I've learned about traveling with a little one is that you have to take things a bit slower!
What can the workplace do to help families inject more FUN into their summer?
I've seen several companies have employees work a few extra hours during the week so they can spend one Friday a month with their family or even a half day every Friday during the summer. It's totally worth putting in those extra hours to get a solid chunk of extra time with your kids to get out and experience something new!
When you’re not on PTO, how do you keep the family fun going at home in the summer?
We take a lot of "adventure" walks around our neighborhood with different destinations! Sometimes we just check out all different the plants, leaves, and animals, sometimes we say hello to neighbors and sometimes we hit up the park or our favorite coffee shop for a treat.
What are your summer fun hacks?
Arlo has recently become obsessed with bubbles so this summer I'm planning on filling an inexpensive kiddie pool with bubble mix and using hula hoops to make giant bubbles with him. I think he's going to go crazy for it!
Want even more summer fun? Check out Kelly's site, Studio DIY for some MAJOR inspo!
How do you #SqueezeMoreFun out of the summer with your family? Let us know in the comments!
SHOP THEIR OLD NAVY LOOKS!
Kelly:
Shirt (available in select stores)
Arlo:
MORE FROM THE BLOG
This One Is For the Nice Girls At Work
Hey nice girl, we need to talk.
Attention all nice girls, let’s really talk. Being the nice girl is honestly nothing nice. Both in our personal lives and on our grind (a.k.a our work life) we get treated as outsiders. Before I get into this, let me describe what a nice girl is: the girl who puts their best self forward every day with a positive attitude and tries their best to avoid the negativity that surrounds them. We are the opposite of the girl who always gives you an attitude, has nothing nice to say, and well— somehow finds the wrong way to talk to you.
In this new age of social media people are continuously trying to put each other down, and somehow it is all becoming normal. With all of the conflict around us, I’d rather be the light at the end of the tunnel. There is no reason to feed into all the negativity, but instead, I believe it’s important to put my best foot forward each day with positive affirmations and a level head. Someone needs to be the positive one in the friend group, right?
Growing up through adolescence and now in my adult life, people have always tried to take advantage of my nice girl attitude and have attempted to discredit my ability to get things done (as if being nice would ever prevent me from being successful anyway). I’ve had friends who have teased me for not being “tough” enough and coworkers who’ve advised me to be more “stern”. A message to everyone out there: my presence of niceness does not mean the absence of a backbone. It also definitely does not mean you can run over me; I can and will speak up for myself when I feel I need to and not when you feel I should - I can do that with a smile, too.
The nice girl side effects don’t stop in your personal life, however. Like I’d mentioned, you’re expected to be even more stern in the workplace. Personally, I’ve been told several times to be tougher, and worse - it’s often been implied directly or indirectly that I might not make it far. Question is, what’s so wrong with holding on to good character? Are we really a little too positive? Does not conforming to the ideal “boss attitude” intimidate you? Do you feel that you can take advantage of me? Does my good character offend you? All hell no’s!
There has been several (and I mean several) instances in the workplace that has really made me rethink if I should shift my attitude - should I conform and be rougher on the edges? I’ve had a boss feel that she could scream at me. I’ve even had a coworker be rude to me daily (and we all know that’s uncalled for). I felt that I got those responses because somehow being nice meant, “I am less than and I don’t deserve to be respected.” Don’t get me wrong though, as I said before, I will speak up for myself, but somehow when you show too much niceness people forget what respect is even on the days you demand it. Even if you speak up when needed, it’s somehow laughable and isn’t taken seriously because you’re “just the nice girl”.
Somehow the nice girls get painted as a villain. I’ve had people get irritated with me because I’m too nice. We even get victimized for following our authentic behavior because we don’t want to be the “mean” girl everyone else wants us to be— well, at least I do. It’s a double edged sword - a lose-lose game.
You know what— yes, I am the nice girl and I am proud of it. I’d rather spew positivity into the workplace and in my personal life. I’d rather respond with a smile and a nice comment. I really want to help you, and no I don’t want to be lunged into any work drama. No, I am not faking any of it. I’m beaming with the utmost sincerity.
You know what— yes, I am the nice girl and I am proud of it. I’d rather spew positivity into the workplace and in my personal life.
Advice to those telling us not to be who we are: let us, the nice girls, speak our truth. We are nice but that is not a green light to take advantage of us - we’re human just like you. We decide to pick positivity over negativity because we believe it makes a better atmosphere for everyone. We decide to treat others the same exact way we want to be treated. Most importantly, we decide to not emerge ourselves into drama. We will not stoop down to some petty level of negativity because we will kill with kindness (a skill few can master and most are fearful of). We like the nice girl that we are and man, it feels good to be nice. What can we say, we’re living our best life. Nice girls are total badasses.
Guess what? We don’t have to turn into this grumpy person to be successful. We can greet you with smile. We can be morning people. We can be okay with someone you may not be okay with. You know it’s acceptable to be likable, right? Sometimes it’s not necessary to have something mean and criticizing to say. Ladies, you don’t have to be this mean girl to get ahead, because guess what - men definitely don’t have to follow the same standards as we do to reach the same end goal.
Listen ladies, don’t be afraid to be exactly who you are. There will be people will try to put you down or cramp your style, but you are a special kind of person. Find your place at work and don’t move for no one. Trust me, I know, you are the positive person everyone wish they could be. Continue to live your truth. Continue to be that light wherever you can be. This world needs more of us, more nice girls.
Written by: Epiphany Ciers. Follow her here: Online Portfolio.
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
5 Women Share When They Feel the Most Fearless
The limit does not exist.
Fear is normal. It keeps us safe. It can even motivate us to get our ducks in a row.
But every woman knows that moment, when you hit your stride, and a surge of fearlessness surges through you. The moment where you know, “I got this.”
It’s a get up and go after it feeling that is empowering. And contagious.
So we asked five women to share when they feel the most fearless. We encourage you to do the same in the comments and pass on the good vibes.
Allie Greenberg, Senior Brand Marketing Manager, Richer Poorer
“This is corny,” says the Marketing Manager at LA’s favorite inner-wear company, “but after a really good, sweaty workout.”
“Or,” the new mom says, “when Sadie [her daughter] and I take a stroller walk around the neighborhood-- I’m so overwhelmed with happiness that nothing can touch me.”
She adds, “Wine also does the trick.”
Paige Bowen, co-founder of Bowen House
Known for their one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, the “daughter,” behind the mother-daughter team at Bowen House, says she feels the most free and fearless after delivering a custom piece to a client.
“Whenever we create really custom pieces for clients I’m always really inspired,” Bowen says. “Then, fear sets in right before it’s delivered.” Luckily that feeling doesn’t last long. “It’s probably right after I see how perfect it looks and the client loves it that I’m the most fearless. It’s like a mini-high.”
Adri Contreras, Senior Events Director, Create & Cultivate
“Fresh out of the salon,” Adri says, “is when I feel the most fearless. I color my hair. I get highlights and when they are glossy and everything is blown out, I feel unstoppable.” However the event director knows that there isn’t always time to hit up the salon, especially before traveling for big conferences. So she keeps things spruced with Moroccanoil Color Complete Collection. The Protect & Prevent Spay super easy to bring along in her suitcase. By shielding hair from environmental factors including UV rays, pollution and thermal damage, Protect & Prevent Spray helps reduce brassiness and fading at the source. And it’s proven to work. After 10 washes, the Moroccanoil Color Complete Collection is scientifically proven to extend color life and vibrancy by 100%. Those are the kind of numbers we like over here.
“Look good, feel good,” says Contreras.
Aideé Chavez, Founder @MexicanYogaGirl
Friends and fam do it for this writer and content creator.
“I feel the most fearless around the people I love and love me back,” Aideé says. “My family and friends are such a sweet place for me. When I am around them I love how I laugh and the stupid stuff I feel open to say, how all my insecurities can be on blast for them to see and yet in that, there is this power where we connect with each other in a way that gives me the energy to go out into the world feeling and loved.”
Can we get a #same?
Brittany Littleton, Activist, Rescuer & Rehabilitator @LitteLoveRescue
“I feel the most fearless right after getting through hard situations. Any time I feel afraid or unsure of myself I remember those times and look at how far I’ve come. Last year was truly the hardest year of my life,” the single mama shares. “I thought I wouldn’t get through it. Then I had my son and I felt-- fearless isn’t even the word for it. I felt invincible.”
What makes you feel fearless? Share below!!
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
Women Aren't Just Running for Office, They're Winning
A win for women is a win for all.
Women across the country are rising up to run for office in record numbers.
Since the 2016 election, 36,000 women have contacted Emily's List about running for office, and 417 women have filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
This May, 2018, Maggie's List, a federal political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing fiscally conservative women to federal office and statewide executive office, announced that they are endorsing 49 candidates for United States Senate, United States House of Representatives races and state-wide offices.
According to CNN, "In 1970, there was just one female Senate candidate. Today, there are 49 to 54 women running, depending on whether and which third-party candidates you include. There are 394 women running for the House and 56 in governor's races (including third-party candidates), as of May 23."
CNN also reports that Arizona has never had a woman in the Senate, making it a hotly contested seat. There are multiple women running for both the Republican and Democratic nominations in a primary on Aug. 28.
According to the Center for American Women in Politics, the number of Democratic women running for House seats this year increased 146 percent over 2016 (to 351), while the number of Republican women running for the House increased just 35 percent (to 99); on the other side of the Capitol there are only 14 Republican women running for Senate compared to 27 Democratic women.
This wave of female candidates is groundbreaking, making clear that women will be the foundation of change in 2018.
After this season’s first batch of primary races, we know women aren’t just running; they’re winning. Specifically Democratic women are winning.
Approximately one-third of the way through primary season, here’s a look at where Democratic women candidates are by the numbers:
289 Democratic women remain in the running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, 29 Democratic women remain in the running for the U.S. Senate, and 43 remain in gubernatorial contests.
In the 65 contested Democratic races between men and women without an incumbent candidate, women won 45.
In the May 8 primaries in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, and West Virginia, 22 of 31 Democratic omen wo their races.
In the Texas primaries, 24 Democratic omen either won or made it into the top two spots for runoff elections out of 32 congressional districts.
In first big primary night, of the 27 female House candidates who were successful, nearly 30 percent were women of color.
Tomorrow’s California primaries, a record 57 women will be on the ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Women are paying attention, and they’re rising up to make their voices heard. Who is excited for this sea change?
Photo by Mirah Curzer on Unsplash
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
The Most Inspirational Thing You'll Read All Day
Mel Robbins is breaking down everything.
Mel Robbins used to work all day long. She never set a stop time and so, she never stopped. But the renowned motivational speaker, creator of The 5 Second Rule, and a best-selling author and Audible Original host, is on a new track-- one that took her many years and 5 seconds to figure out.
At 41 her life was a mess. (Self-admittedly.) She couldn't get out of bed. She was unemployed. And then she changed her life with the 5 Second Rule. Laying in bed Mel counted backward from 5 to zero.
In that blip of time she activated her prefrontal cortex, which, according to Mel (and science) "is the part of the brain in charge of decision making, strategic thinking, acting with courage, learning new behavior, and working towards goals."
She's now the host of the Audible Original, "Kick Ass with Mel Robbins," where she talks to real people with real problems. Sound like you?
Read on.
You've said that dreams deserve 5 minutes in the morning before you let the world in. Can this kind of thinking be applied to any point during the day and have the same effect?
Most of us live our day-to-day in a reactionary mindset. We’re rolling through our to-dos, firing out emails, doing the daily chores and tasks, and getting what needs to be done finished.
And, as long as you’re putting out fires, you aren’t moving the ball down the field on what matters most to you. We knock things off of our to-do lists because that feels productive, but because we never actually make any real progress on the things that matter, we often still feel a void in our lives.
Your dreams will never come to life if you’re checking boxes off your to-do list. Instead, you need to take deliberate time each day to make meaningful progress on your goals.
I do this by carving out 30 minutes each morning of protected time to work on my goals.
There’s a reason the morning is the best time to work on your goals–and it lies in neuroscience.
According to Duke University professor and researcher Dan Ariely, we all have a two or three hour window of peak productivity every single day–and it starts an hour after you wake up.
So, if you pop out of bed at 6 a.m., your peak thinking and productivity window is 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.
I do whatever it takes to find 30 minutes before 7:30 a.m. to plan out my day and spend some time on a project that matters to me.
Why else is it important to plan and do the most important stuff first thing? Because it’s the best time for the brain to focus on the tasks or goals that advance your own personal or professional goals.
Answering emails, taking phone calls, sitting in meetings have a way of taking over your schedule and rarely lead to making major improvements in your life.
The concept of “30 before 7:30” cannot be done once you walk into the office. You must do this at home, at your favorite coffee shop, on the train, or sitting in your car in the parking lot.
Do not try to do this at work. The moment you walk into your office, answer that first email, or take that first call–your day is gone. Your attention is no longer being focused on your own goals and dreams.
For your own happiness and to protect the time necessary to focus on the deep work, the first two hours of your day must be grabbed by you. Now, if every once and a while you’ve a morning in which it’s impossible to take 30, you can leave it until the evening. But I’ve found that most of the time “later” becomes “not today.” At night, you’re tired–and you’re about 12 hours past your peak thinking window.
If you are making progress on projects that matter, even if for just a few minutes a day, you are winning the long game.
For our readers who have a hard time setting professional boundaries-- they're burnt out, they're replying to emails constantly, they never say no, they work weekends-- what's your advice?
When I find myself working around the clock, I remember Parkinson's Law.
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the amount of time given to it, which means that if you never set your own boundaries, you'll literally ALWAYS be working.
And that not only wears you down–it wears other people in your life down, too. A recent study found 33% of people answer messages in the middle of the night. And you don’t need me to tell you that checking your emails at 3 AM puts you at risk for burnout and emotional exhaustion.
Instead of endlessly working and being addicted to your phone from sunrise to sunset, try this: Set a time today that you will absolutely stop working.
As someone who used to work all day long, I was amazed what happened when I started setting a quitting time, something I now do every single day.
Instead of becoming less productive, I actually got more done. With my quitting time in mind, I was more focused, concentrated, and made even more progress.
A quitting time is the difference between an unfocused 12 hours of work or a productive, distraction-free 8 hours–in which you get the same amount of work done.
If you can get serious about managing distractions and removing them, you will find your productivity is off the charts. Every interruption takes 25 minutes to fully recover from and get back into focus mode.
If signing off at 5 PM makes you nervous, try this method for just one day. Before you get to work, take your 30 before 7:30 and plan out your day. Once you get into the office, write your quitting time down and start on your #1 project of the day before you check your email. Keep your phone on silent and your computer’s notifications off. If you find yourself getting tired, get up and walk for 5 minutes.
By 5PM, you will have most likely accomplished as much as you would working even longer.
Try this one day at a time and you’ll find that the extra time to recharge at night actually makes you even more productive the next day!
On a related note, the art of managing distractions is one of the superpowers of the 21st century. If you can tune out the notifications, the noise, and the chatter, you will get twice as much work done in half the time–allowing you to have quality time with your family and loved ones at night.
For young working women there are fear-based thoughts that if they don't do all of the above (are the last one the leave the office, say no to answering emails on the weekend, etc.) there will be someone behind them happy to take their place. What do you say to that?
The key word here is “value.” There’s a major difference between showing up at work (no matter how many hours you are online) and providing real value.
If you make your boss’ life easier and you further your boss’ strategic objectives, you are providing an incredible amount of value–and your boss will not think about firing you, even if you set clear boundaries around your time.
The secret to providing value is to ask yourself one question every day.
It’s to put yourself in your boss’ shoes and ask: What is the most valuable thing that I can do for him/her?
When you choose which projects to work on, you should actively seek to align your workload and your priorities with your boss’ objectives. While it may be more fun for you to work on projects that are not as important, when you become a proactive strategic contributor, you become an invaluable asset to your team.
If you’re currently not a huge value-add to your company, you can change that starting now. Tomorrow, ask your boss to talk and find out his or her strategic objectives–and start to align your work in this direction.
This question also gives you a formula for how you will answer other people who ask for your time and energy at work.
Many of us, especially women, want to please everyone in our lives, and it’s no easier to say no to a colleague or your boss as it is to say no to a friend or family member.
At work, you need to get clear on your priorities. And then, when someone asks you to do something that you don’t have time for or that would hurt your work on your most important projects, here is how to say no without feeling guilty:
First: understand that you are not saying NO to the person. You are saying it to the task. You are also saying YES to prioritizing your own time. If a colleague asks you, acknowledge the request and thank the person for thinking of you, explain why you don’t have the time due to your other projects, and then offer a lifeline by helping them brainstorm another person or offer guidance if they need help.
Second: if your boss is the one to ask for a request, use it as a strategic, high visibility moment. Listen to the request and then say that you are aiming to help them with strategic priorities and ask what is most important for you to focus on: this new project or your current work.
Remember: if you don’t prioritize your time and learn to say no, someone else will be the one to dictate your priorities, which is not the key to making progress at work.
It’s not just important to “say no” to projects that don’t align with your strategic goals. It’s also important to “say no” to being available all the time. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s impossible show up as your best self. Research shows that today’s pressure to always be accessible has left more than half of workers feeling burned out and in desperate need of a reset button. In the United States alone, 200 million days are lost from work each year due to mental health issues, which is costing employers over $100 billion.
Researchers believe that one reason women are not promoted at the same levels men are is because of burnout. Women face high expectations in the home and at work (especially be having to be “always on” even after work hours).
Being “always on” is impossible. Make sure to prioritize things like sleep, getting time outdoors, exercising, not sitting all day, and spending time with friends.
And, if you’re actively aligning your workload with your company’s top priorities and getting more done in less time by managing distractions, you will become an invaluable employees who can set boundaries–and not have to worry about being replaced by someone else.
Sign up for Audible today! And listen to Kick Ass with Mel Robbins. Change your life already.
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
School of Side Hustle Lesson 2: From Concept to Commerce
A creative’s guide to easy e-commerce.
In Lesson One: Create & Cultivate + Weebly talked brand building basics. We worked through some simple, but necessary brand building exercises. And we read up on how Emily McDowell grew her online card side-hustle into a legit brand. So let’s turn the lens on you for a minute.
You’ve done the brand work. You’ve figured out your three adjectives. You’ve played “This Not That,” and you’re ready. But, you’re not. But.... you are. You think. *Scratches head.*
Are you ready? It’s a hard question to answer because the “launch my biz” trepidation tremors are real. Of the hundreds of women we talk to about entrepreneurship the common thread is “the leap.” At one point they’ve all faced the challenge of closing their eyes and sprinting straight ahead. You need guts, because as you know, without guts there is no glory.
Watch: Lesson 2 From Concept To Commerce
Carly Kuhn, AKA The Cartorialist, had to take one such leap. And it all started with a secret Instagram persona. When she launched @theCartorialist she was working full time on “Chelsea Lately.” She had no clue what her illustration side hustle would turn into, nor did she want it to look like she was trying to switch careers. However, Carly did know that she had to show the world the artist within. “Working in comedy,” Carly says, “I thought it may be awkward to tell my coworkers “Hey guys, I started an Instagram account where I draw people, check it out!’”
But she gathered her courage and did it.
“I think the reason I had the courage to actually go through with it was because I had been doing Improv and Sketch comedy for a few years. Let me tell you - standing on a stage with no lines, improvising comedy to a group of strangers seemed much more daunting to me than posting a drawing to the unknown abyss that is the internet! So, I guess you can say, without comedy, I wouldn’t have had the chutzpah to show my art to the world!”
It was that chutzpah that turned into her first sale. “A lot of the monetization happened organically,” she says. “For example, my first paid job (while I was still at “Chelsea”), a PR company hired me to draw a few top magazine editors that they then framed and gifted to them for the holidays. I had no clue how to price this- I think I just made up a number! They came back with their budget, and what worked for them. That’s kind of how it happened in the beginning. And once I had one paid job under my belt, that was my barometer for pricing moving forward.”
With that sale she knew she could take her idea from concept to commerce. If one person is willing to pay, so are others.
But all of those questions about pricing and getting started are tricky. Which is why in Lesson 2: From Concept to Commerce, Create & Cultivate's CEO & Founder Jaclyn Johnson is breaking down a creative’s guide to easy e-commerce.
Now, that’s a lot of info to take in. But here are some of the basics, further explained.
One of the most important touch-points for you brand is your website. And Weebly gives you the ability to create one that tells your unique story. Weebly offers users the ability to tell their unique story. And storytelling is the rock solid foundation of any successful brand. With Weebly you can:
Choose a unique online store design with a customizable theme to showcase your products. Their easy-to-use drag & drop builder helps you launch your online store quickly.
They also offer intuitive and time-saving marketing tools, which are incredibly useful when it’s only you, business party of one. With Weebly you can:
Use customizable email templates, like an abandoned cart or welcome email, to connect with your customers.
Optimize your site for SEO to help search engines discover you. Their analytics tools help you track site performance. Plus, you can further enhance your store with partners from their app center.
Their blog also offers a ton of amazing and useful content for new builders. From the “4 Questions to Ask Yourself When Designing Your Web Store,” to turning a one time customer into a return customer, to how to design your site so that it’s optimized for SEO. When you’re launching there is so much to consider-- the good news is, Weebly has already considered it for you. Seriously. Do you know what your “hero” product should be? Or what people should see first? These are all small details that require patience, thoughtfulness, and attention.
Even as your business grows, there are a million considerations. For Carly, selling is still a work in progress, but she encourages young entrepreneurs to do their research. “I had a hard time pricing out my work in the beginning (and still do!). But today, there are a lot of resources out there. You can approximate the pricing of your work through research. There are a lot of other art/design websites out there that can give you a sense of what is being sold and for how much. Then go with your gut...what feels right.”
She also shares this insider piece of advice: “I feel like I am only now just beginning to get the hang of it! But, what I did learn very quickly is that the holiday season is when most customers want to make their special art purchases. So, if you can launch a site/start selling your work, do it in time for the November/December holiday season!”
As for how she prefers her sites to look and feel? “A website should be clean, clear, not overwhelming to the eye, and user friendly. I typically like a white background with black text, but that’s just me! Let the content speak for itself. If you can’t navigate a website easily, people will leave it after a few seconds.”
Let the content speak for itself.
Whether you opt for a white background with black type, or you’re into a more colorful interface, Weebly has options. But we bet they’ll also tell you, make that website user-friendly, or that user will no friend of yours.
Have more questions, drop us a line below and we’ll get them answered!
Be sure to look back at Lesson One: Building a Brand Online and check in for Lesson 3: Don’t Just Build a Website, Build a Business and Lesson 4: From Market To Marketing.
MORE FROM THE BLOG
C&C Classifieds: Refinery29, Billion Dollar Boy, Mistress & More!
Another Wednesday, another classifieds!
If you've been searching job boards and obsessively refreshing LinkedIn for the latest openings at your dream company, look no further. Your weekly classifieds listing is here with positions in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and more. Weather you're transitioning into a new industry or looking to put that fresh college degree to work, we've got you.
Dive into this week's classifieds listing here and get your resumes ready to rock!
PS.: We're hiring, check out our open positions if you'd like to join the C&C fam!
Create & Cultivate - LA, CA
Capital Hair Products - Washington DC
Billion Dollar Boy - NY, NY
Mistress - LA, CA
Refinery29 - LA, CA
Groupon - CHI, IL
WANT MORE? SEE OUR FULL LIST OF CLASSIFIEDS HERE.
MORE FROM THE BLOG
4 LGBTQ Female Entrepreneurs Changing the Game
Making waves. Making history.
At C&C we're constantly talking to trailblazers. Women who champion others because they champion themselves first. In honor of Pride Month, we're highlighting some of our fave openly out female entrepreneurs.
Left: Gigi Gorgeous, Right: Nicolette Mason
Tim Cook might be the first name that comes to mind when you think openly gay CEO. In fact, before Cook came out, there were no openly gay CEOs in the Fortune 500. But there are countless other women (and men) challenging the status quo of what it means to be an entrepreneur. We love the below women who have forged their own path. Created their own careers. And continue to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ community.
GIGI GORGEOUS
Being inspired keeps up alive. And YouTube star Gigi Gorgeous, currently clocking 2.2 million followers on the video platform and 2 million on Insta, is nothing short of inspiring. Born Gregory Lazzarato, the middle of three brothers, Gigi began sharing YouTube videos from her bedroom in Toronto in 2008. They were confessionals, makeup tutorials, and normal goofy videos with high school friends. At the time Gigi identified as a gay male, receiving support from both her parents. Her brothers appeared in videos alongside her as well. It was after losing her mother to cancer that Gigi posted a video officially identifying as transgender. That was December 2013.
She’s spent almost a decade in front of the camera. She edits all her own videos. She's taken acting classes and made a few moves in the world of cinema. As to who she wants to work with? "Any major star would be amazing," she says. "I really love acting." But she's also broken barriers, working with major brands like Pantene and Crest- what she calls “pinch me moments.” "When I signed the deal for the Crest campaign for 3D White, I bawled my eyes out to my dad, but it shows what you put in, is what you get out.”
"Being a transgender woman I know the hardships that the people in my community go through," she says. "I think it's important to get my story out there for the world to see. We saw this with Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox-- they're huge media icons but they made transgender a household topic and that's really powerful. It changes people's perspective."
For our full interview with Gigi click here.
INGRID NILSEN
In the world of YouTube there are those considered to be “top of their game.” Beauty blogger Ingrid Nilsen is one such name. Her charm and smile are infectious. As is her honesty.
In her coming out video titled, “Something I Want You to Know,” Ingrid told her subscribers the she was gay. The video has over 15 million views to date. "I'm gay," she tells the camera, laughing and crying, "it feels so good to say that."
Though it felt “natural and important" to her, it was also "a big step in bringing my audience closer and letting them in. I didn’t want to hide. I didn’t want to shut them out."
"YouTube has been a space where people can be themselves, and be themselves in whatever light that is that day and receive acceptance," she says. "I think that’s why it’s why it’s so accepting of the LGBQT community. It’s rooted in authenticity and acceptance at its core." For our full interview with Ingrid click here.
Left: Ingrid Nilsen, Right: Rachel Berks
NICOLETTE MASON
We think it's maybe a little too obvious about how much we fan girl over writer and influencer Nicolette Mason, but the sharp-witted bloggers is the real deal. "I never thought working for a fashion magazine was ever in the realm of possibility for me," said blogger and writer Nicolette Mason. "I had the education and the background, but there was no one who looked like me. No one I could look to as an example," she shared. "When Vogue Italia reached out to me and asked if I would be a contributor and a year from that point Marie Claire asked me to come in as a columnist and I penned a column for five years-- it was so amazing and surreal to know that my voice did have the potential and ability to be part of the mainstream."
Nicolette says, "It's the job of content creators and media creators to reflect our real world." For more on Diversity and Representation in Media click here.
RACHEL BERKS, FOUNDER OF OTHERWILD
Otherwild Founder Rachel Berks didn't set out to open a boutique shop slash graphic design studio (making her an official slashie), but when the graphic design world and a brief stint at William Morris designing presentations for fast food companies didn't align with the vision she had for her future, she shifted gears. Otherwild was born in LA in 2012 and just opened a second location in New York this past May.
Now she's focussed less on fast and more on building community and offering an inclusive space for the LGBTQ population. It's the glue that binds Otherwild's followers together and also sets her apart as a business owner. You might recall Rachel as the unapologetic force that brought back "The Future is Female" shirt after seeing the image on HerStory's Instagram, which focusses on the herstory of lesbian imagery. She's also committed to representing the multi-dimensional and expansive queer community. For our full interview with Rachel click here.
Who are some women you admire? Share in the comments below!
Cover photo credit: Thornspike
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
How This Charleston Mom Makes Time For Summer Fun
Squeeze more FUN!
Simple summer pleasures are upon us. No matter what your job, summer is the season of FUN. But work does not wait for summer -- unfortunately. With the bulk of the summer ahead of us (YAY!), we're teaming up with Old Navy to tap on-the-go moms across the country to find out how they squeeze more fun out of summer in their cities - while keeping that to-do list managed and inboxes at a minimum.
SUMMER CHARM IN CHARLESTON
Charleston blogger Chassity Evans of Look Linger Love walks us through her charming summer habits with her two kids below.
How does your family “squeeze more fun” out of summer?
Luckily, in Charleston our summers seem to go on forever with plenty of warm days. We make the most of weekends and try not to let any day go by without doing something fun! We love to grill outside, go on a bike ride, and make popsicles. One of our favorite weekly traditions is to hit the local ice cream shop, Old Village Pharmacy, for some laughs and to really connect about things that are on our minds.
SHOP THE EVANS FAMILY OLD NAVY SUMMER LOOKS HERE
As an entrepreneurial mom, there’s a lot of pressure to be plugged in + online. Why is it important to you to make family memories in the summer?
I love my iPhone and my online communities - they keep me connected with friends and family and give me a creative outlet, but as a mom of two young kids who are growing so quickly in front of my eyes it's more and more important to me to be present in the moment. During the summer I get so many more hours of the day to spend with my kids, and I want them to be filled with memories they recall fondly. They're still at that magic age where they love being around me, so I have to soak it up!
Do you have any favorite summer traditions? What is your go-to activity for summer fun with the family?
In the summer we love to swim in our pool, go out on the boat, hit the beach, and eat A LOT of ice cream from Old Village Pharmacy. Sometimes even for breakfast.
Vacations are wonderful but they can also be hard work to plan. Do you have any family vacay planning tips?
We love an easy vacation. The kind of get away that has plenty of down time so we can go with the flow of our moods and energy level. Having a slow morning inside can be just as much fun as rushing out to an activity. If we are staying in a hotel it 100% has to be kid friendly, otherwise none of us will relax. We have a home in the Bahamas and that is definitely our favorite place to get away to. We know the area and know what we want to do so as soon as we get there we can hit the ground running. As for a travel tip, I've learned that when traveling with kids you really can't pack enough clothes!
Having a slow morning inside can be just as much fun as rushing out to an activity.
What can the workplace do to help families inject more FUN into their summer?
I think offering more 3 day weekends or half days would open up families for more short getaways, staycations, and activities!
When you’re not on PTO, how do you keep the family fun going at home in the summer?
We connect over meals at fun restaurants, playing a game in the backyard, or inviting over neighbors. Going for a bike ride is an easy way to share family time!
What are your summer fun hacks?
I should be asking you all this question! I'm no Martha. But I will say that MadLibs will take you far. Remember those little fill in the blank books from childhood? My kids go crazy over these and they're great in the car or at a restaurant!
How do you squeeze more fun out of summer with your family? Let us know in the comments & join the conversation using #unitedstateoffun on social!
SHOP THEIR OLD NAVY LOOKS!
Chassity:
Off-the-Shoulder Linen Blend Shift Dress
Chassity's Daughter:
Girls Knotted Denim Cross-Strap Slides
Chassity's Son:
Linen Blend Pocket Shirt for Boys
Built-In Flex Madras Shorts for Boys
MORE FROM THE BLOG
Finding Honest Inspiration with Working Wonder: Kate Sands
Beauty and fashion blogger Katie Sands is #alwaysbeinghonest.
Beauty and fashion blogger Katie Sands is #alwaysbeinghonest. It’s why she created the hashtag-- and why her Instagram handle is @honestlykate. She’s not only living authentically, she’s creating her own future, using her platform to reflect her journey as a young woman in NYC.
Wondering how? By asking for what she wants. #WorkingWonder.
“If you want it, ask,” she’s told her 100k+ followers. “This is something I always try to live by. You’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t ask for it. What’s the worst that’s going to happen, someone will say no?”
It’s a simple concept that many of us find so hard to execute.
To find out more about Katie, her journey as a blogger, some of her fav beauty tips, and more, read on.
Let's start with the basics. What does the idea of Working Wonder mean to you?
I believe a Working Wonder is someone who can accomplish as much as they can while looking and feeling their best, especially when it comes to guiding others along the way. There are so many people out there who don’t want to share contacts or put in a good word for others, and I can never understand why. Reaching out on behalf of a friend, or even a mere acquaintance, and connecting people is so important in the world we live in and could mean so much to someone. I always admire people who have the ability to make others feel comfortable and welcomed around them.
Life is too short to have a negative attitude and make people feel less than how they should feel - a simple smile and warm personality can go a long way. That’s something I always strive for, whether I’m working or just hanging with friends. Anytime someone is overwhelmed with work, but still takes the time to reach out and make others feel good about themselves, that is a Working Wonder to me.
How has the content and inspiration you share through your HonestlyKate platforms made you feel wonderful?
There is no better feeling than seeing people react in a positive way toward HonestlyKate. I created HonestlyKate at the end of last year as a platform I could use to reflect my journey as a young woman in New York City, trying to grow and inspire as many people I could reach. I know so many people trying to pursue their dreams in the Big Apple — and let’s face it, we all want to look good whether we’re on the subway, at a job interview, or just out for the night with our closest friends, because you never know who you’ll run into. From the beginning, it’s been my goal to inspire girls to curate their own futures and let them in on my fashion and beauty secrets along the way. What better place than New York to do it all?! When I see that my goal of helping inspire women to curate their own futures is working, I get so excited and it all feels so worth it.
You mention the ‘Honestly’ in your name represents authenticity. How do you encourage women to stay authentic while creating content for their audiences?
Don’t try to be everything for everyone, just try to be something for yourself - someone that you are proud of. I try to always stay true to who I am and what I value, no matter what kind of obstacles come along the way. Being honest is what my brand is all about, but I’ll admit it can definitely be hard to not get swept up by the glamor of it all — especially as things grow and evolve. I think it’s key to surround yourself with people that really ground you and remind you of what’s truly important. Cherish those people, and don’t lose them! I always remind myself of the core reasons of why I started to blog: my love for fashion and my passion for helping people be their truest selves. As long as you’re true to yourself and your ambitions, you will always be authentic, regardless of how saturated the industry you are in is.
Don’t try to be everything for everyone, just try to be something for yourself - someone that you are proud of.
Tweet this.
Another important aspect of staying authentic while creating content for a particular audience is to have a clear vision. Of course, this vision can evolve, but it’s good to start with a direct message for your audience and to have a good sense of what you want your brand to showcase. Don’t be afraid to take risks in your style. Don’t be threatened by numbers of followers. Look at your engagement and find the link between what you love and what your audience wants to see or hear from you - figure out how you can relate to them, and in turn inspire them. It’s good to adapt, as long as you always come back to your true intentions and are sure it’s the right direction for you.
What is your advice for younger female entrepreneurs struggling to feel their own sense of wonder? Or, those wondering if they're on the right track?
A great piece of advice that I once received from a mentor is that it’s okay to feel stuck, or to feel like you aren’t doing enough — everyone feels that way at one point or another. And when that feeling comes, take a few steps back and ask yourself why you started doing what it is you are doing. Don’t be afraid to fall, because most of the time you will be falling in the right direction.
I also think that young entrepreneurs get stuck on this idea that everything has to be new and extremely original, and I believe that in the world we live in, authenticity is key — but it’s okay to take inspiration from the people around you and channel it to fit your own aesthetic. Once you feel more comfortable with the idea that everything doesn’t have to be extremely original and new, you can start to take the pressure off of yourself and focus that energy into putting a new spin on the things you’re passionate about.
Don’t be afraid to fall, because most of the time you will be falling in the right direction.
Tweet this.
Do you think there is a difference between 'beauty' and feeling 'beautiful?'
I believe the word “beauty” refers to everything on the outer layer of the self. It’s the more superficial level. Your skin, your hair, your body shape — these are all visual elements that contribute to your outer beauty. But being beautiful is something that radiates from within. When someone emanates positive energy and inspires those around them, that is beautiful. That’s what we should all strive to be and feel.
What do you hope other women feel about themselves and the concept of "beauty?"
I hope women view themselves as beautiful from within. The outer layers come later. One of my aspirations for creating HonestlyKate was to promote a positive image of what it means to be and feel beautiful, and for me, that meant using fashion and beauty to help others develop confidence within themselves. Beauty is all around us but feeling beautiful is something all women need help with at times, and that’s what I wanted to help others with.
So, speaking of beauty... we all have our own tips and tricks. We recently found out that only 20% of visible skin aging comes from the natural aging process. Mary Kay®'s TimeWise Miracle Set 3D™ helps protect your skin against the rest – what else do you incorporate into your beauty and wellness routine to combat the environmental and lifestyle stressors that contribute to premature skin aging?
Oh, there are so many things! The number one habit I’m trying to get rid of is always drinking out of a straw! I know it sounds silly, but I’ve read multiple times that it’s horrible for aging in your face. It’s just so much more fun for me to drink out of a straw than not to! Another huge tip to help combat stressors that contribute to premature aging is to take a step back or a day off. A lot of times I realize that I’m stressing over things that are so minute in the grand scheme of things. It’s easy to get carried away with the little stuff, but taking a step back really helps to ground you and recognize what’s truly important.
Working out is one way for me to de-stress. I try to break a sweat at least three times each week. It’s tough when you’re so busy, but at the end of every workout class I’m reminded of why it’s so important to get the body moving, it really does combat stress and release good endorphins. I’m also trying to cook more for myself, which can be really difficult as an influencer. There are always dinners and events with people and brands that offer such delicious food, but at times it can be overwhelming. I now know it’s okay to say “Hey, can we meet for coffee instead?” Finding the right balance is important.
When do you feel the most wonderful?
I definitely feel the most wonderful when I’m working on my non-profit, Kate’s Closet! I can’t say too much about it yet... but stay tuned. Giving and helping others, especially those who really need it, is so important to me — it’s what makes me feel like I’m having a real positive impact on the world.
Who is a woman you would consider a Working Wonder? Someone, you want to give a shout out to?
My biggest fashion Working Wonder is Patricia Fields! She single-handedly created what a New York woman should emulate in beauty, fashion, and attitude. Both in Sex and the City, and now with Younger. One of the reasons I began my blog was because of my passion for costume design, it’s something I studied in college and always had my heart set on. My whole life I acted in plays and musicals, but then I realized that fashion and beauty were two things I also wanted to focus on for my career. Patricia Fields paved the way for me (and so many others) and showed us how to marry the two. She showed us that it’s possible to be passionate about more than one thing. She never takes credit and is always behind the scenes, but I think she deserves a major applause!
We'll be featuring wonderful women paving the way in their careers as part of our new Working Wonders series with Mary Kay. Check back for more inspiration and wonderful words of wisdom.
MORE FROM THE BLOG
This CCO Says There's No Longer One Way to Do This
Changing the game.
After working her way up at two other major fashion houses, Marie Mazelis came to Halston. Looking to introduce a generation of new Halstonites to the heritage brand that pretty much defined the '70s, Mazelis had her work cut out for her.
But what she knew was that dressing had fundamentally changed. Specifically, dressing for work had fun-da-mentally changed. And when she took control as Chief Creative Officer, she knew this had to be incorporated into Halston's offerings. That dressing had become interchangeable.
Read more from Mazelis on the why and how, fashion dress codes (there are none) and lasting power of Halston.
The business world (for most of us) is more casual than ever. In what ways have you seen a difference in the way women dress for work?
I think how we dress overall has become a lot more personal and much more relaxed. There isn’t just one acceptable way to dress for the office. Women no longer have two separate wardrobes – one for work and one for the weekend. They’ve become interchangeable. It’s all in the mix, it’s how you put things together.
What do women want from their work wear?
Comfort, ease, versatility... Also, I think, longevity… They want things that won’t be out of style next season. Today’s woman is very savvy, and she’s willing to invest in quality that will last. She is also looking for something unique and special, with attention to detail.
How has the way you dress for work changed over the course of your career?
Interesting question. Working in fashion, I was never really confined to a “dress code”, so the changes in how I dress for work have been mostly influenced by changes in my life. My days now are a whirlwind - filled with meetings on color, embroidery and prints… Fittings, and photo shoots, and sketch reviews... And when I’m not working, I’m out and about with my two boys. All this leaves little time for anything else, so I’ve had to simplify. I’ve developed a “uniform” of sorts. During the week I wear all black – all my favorite pieces that are easily interchangeable, which I update with new silhouettes each season. It’s one less decision to make before 9am.
In your last seven years at Halston how have you addressed the changing needs of women?
I have focused on creating designs that are lasting – both in quality and aesthetic. Halston brand is known for its timelessness and modernity. There are so many vintage Halston pieces that look as if they had been designed today. To make Halston glamour more accessible, our collections have expanded to include more casual pieces, giving options for dressing up or down, and thus offering more versatility and value. As I mentioned earlier, it’s all in how you put things together. Like when you wear a cocktail dress with flats, it feels more casual and relaxed, making it appropriate for day.
What are some major trends you're forecasting for this year?
It feels like everything is on trend. It’s all in play. So it’s more about having your own unique point of view.
How do we update our office basics?
For me acquiring a new piece of clothing is about the emotion it evokes. Dressing for work can become so routine, so mechanical in a way… I love resetting from time to time with something that makes me feel really happy when I reach for it in the morning. Invest in pieces that inspire you.
Can you recommend 6 easy adds to any closet?
An iconic Halston silhouette, this classic jumpsuit is an easy all-in-one outfit.
A great option from desk to dinner. Layer a jacket over it for day, put on some heels for night.
A fun piece to complete any look, whether with jeans or a cocktail dress, it adds a touch of glam.
Classic Halston, this timeless dress should be in every woman’s wardrobe.
One of my favorite tops this season. I love the delicate ruching detail and the flowy, effortless silhouette.
Gotta love a great slide! A summer must-have, wear these with anything for a relaxed, yet put together look.
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
How to Pack an Extra Bit of Protein in Your Day
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.
We don’t want to call you out, but your snack choices are questionable.
And when you’re clocking long days at work, you want snacks that fuel your performance. Not choices that slow you down.
Which is why we want to serve up a new option-- one that you can blend, shake, mix and beyond-- even right from your desk.
Leading almond butter producer, Barney Butter is launching the nation’s first-ever powdered almond butter! Barney Powdered Almond Butter is a completely natural defatted product made using only California’s best grade almonds in a 100% peanut-free facility. After going through an all-natural expeller pressed process with absolutely no chemicals, the Powdered Almond Butter has only 45 calories, 1g of fat and a powerful punch of 6g of protein per serving.
Here are a couple of ways you can enjoy it straight from your desk.
With only 1 ingredient (almonds!), our Powdered Almond Butter gives you a clean, nutrient dense option and checks so many boxes: peanut free, Paleo, Keto, Vegan, gluten-free.
For an additional way to enjoy almond butter, Barney Butter’s Powdered Almond Butter will be available starting June 1st (today!) at BarneyButter.com for $9.99, and at retailers nationwide shortly after.
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
C&C Classifieds: Billion Dollar Boy, BE SOCIAL, Havenly & More!
New job, who dis?
Calling all goal diggers! If you've had your eyes out for a new position at your dream company or a relocation opportunity in a new city, you're in the right place. Your weekly classifieds are here and we’re excited to share that we’re back on the list with a new job opening within the #createcultivate dream team!
Dive in and enjoy ladies!
Create & Cultivate - LA, CA
BE SOCIAL - LA, CA
Billion Dollar B0y - NY, NY
Pinterest - LA, CA
ONEHOPE Wine - LA, CA
WANT MORE? SEE OUR FULL LIST OF CLASSIFIEDS HERE.
MORE FROM THE BLOG