My Favorites for 2023
We are just 2 days away from a New Year and let’s be honest, it’s really just the start of that new calendar you got from your realtor or the planner that you will use for a week before letting go. As such, I wanted to do a wrap of 2023 and share with you some of my favorites. Favorite destinations, books, podcasts, free resources, videos, and investments! Let’s jump straight into it!
I had an amazing year of travel this year and as such I was privileged to see many places around the world. While each location had its own magic, I’ve narrowed it down to my top 3 destinations for 2023!
Florence, Italy
I enjoyed going from Geneva to Venice and then down to Florence for a post-workshop hang with my buddies Aroha & Jen and even though we were only there for a few days, it was enough to help me understand why so many folks love it there. While Jen’s highlight was the Duomo & delicious looking gentlemen, mine was the simplicity of buying apricots on the street, watching the light move across the textured walls, and the incredible mass of street art. The whole reason I am planning on going back in 2024, however, is simply so I can nom on the most delicious butternut squash ravioli. I’m not lying. I do not even like pasta - but this ravioli will stay with me forever. This was also the place we taught Aroha to scoot for the first time!! Want to join me in Italy next year? Click here for details!
2. Amsterdam
Oh how I fell in love with Amsterdam! I appreciated their dedication to environmentally respectful modes of transportation and the ease it was to get around the city. I don’t know what exactly the draw was for me here, but I told Ryan I might escape to Amsterdam for a month long retreat because I could see myself “living” there and melding into the world. I loved the curvy streets, the hidden stores (Like where I got to design a dick!), and the beauty around every corner. Pretty much all the food we ate was absolutely delicious, but overall, the reason why I loved Amsterdam so much was just its overall vibe!
3. Arizona
The 3rd place contender for my favorites of 2023 would be the whole of Arizona! I flew into Phoenix, but drove down to Tucson and I love the environment between the both of them. I really loved being in the sun, learning how to scoot in Phoenix, spending time with my lovely friend Jade Beall, and teaching and interviewing some amazing humans at The Portrait Masters. The light in Arizona is perfect light and I had the pleasure of playing in my friend Christine’s glorious backyard and playing in her pool to cool off while simultaneously photographing my beautiful friends. There’s something about Arizona that calms my soul - a feeling similar to Arizona!
I set a goal for myself to read at least 1 book a month this year and I think I did that! For the sake of brevity, however, I’ve narrowed my top reads down to 3 that really stand out to me as being life changing!
Raising Hell, Living Well by Jessica Elefante
I really loved this book because it was real and raw insight into the masterminds behind the world of influence - as someone who strives to be a good influence, this book reminded me of who was actually pulling the strings and if I wanted to play the game, I could - but at what cost? This book had a similar tone to another great book that I read this year, called Stolen Focus by Johann Hari - because both of these books were similar, I kinda lump them both into here. I think reading both of these books has given me a lot of food for thought about how I want to spend my time and energy going forward and what I want from social media (not what social media wants from me!). I highly recommend both of these books if you’ve been feeling pulled away from the socials.
2. Tanqueray by Stephanie Johnson and Brandon Stanton
While this book wasn’t about filling my mind - it certainly filled my soul. “Tanqueray” was a quick read but one full of so much life, history, and honesty. If you don’t know who Stephanie Johnson is, she became well known through the Humans of New York instagram account when she shared her story and experience of being a well-nown burlesque dancer in NYC. Tanqueray was Stephanie’s stage name and as she tells it “Everybody wanted a piece of Tanqueray.” I am not usually one for bios, but there was something about the hilarious exchange between her and Brandon that made me want to read it (and support her!). I highly recommend this if you want a cheeky laugh and view of one of NYC’s favorites!
3. If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie
This book was an exceptional coming home memoir. This beautiful book was full of stories and history - of losing one’s intuition and then finding it again. It challenges us to imagine what our lives as women would look like if we never lost ourselves the patriarchy and how we might be able to find our way back to ourselves. One of the sections that stood out to me was a quote that said “Wild places have become ‘resources’ and if they cannot be used for human benefit they are not valued….As for nature, so for women.” Wow. After reading this book, I wanted to run away to the highlands and lose myself in the fog of the sea. Such a beautiful read. I will lead you with one last quote “…in becoming what we are not, in colluding with the patriarchy, we are cut off from the source of our own creativity, from the wild mystery and freedom which makes our hearts sing.”
I never was much of a podcast person until I was on a lonely long drive and decided to give it a go - turns out, I AM A PODCAST PERSON! Clearly, this was before I started my own podcast! In any case, I find myself listening more to podcasts than to music these days, but for the sake of this post, I am going to throw in one of my new favorite songs with 2 of my favorite podcasts from this year!
I just recently stumbled onto this podcast and I am literally obsessed. This podcasts follows 2 writers/creatives as they navigate hustle culture and making a living being creative. Their authenticity and general babble is hilarious to listen to, but ultimately it is the compassion, understanding, and occasional tough love that keeps me listening. Their story rivals my own and it’s so refreshing to hear it mimicked back to me in a new way, so I might be able to see a bit more clearly. If you are a creative, you will want to check this one out for sure!
2. Holly Humberstone (feat. d4vd) - Superbloodmoon
So, I first heard this song on a random playlist while Ryan and I were in LA and I’m not joking when I say the lyrics stuck with me so much that I searched hi and low on the internet to find this song. I knew the name, but not the artist and you might be surprised to know there are quite a few songs that mention the super blood moon. In any case, I was able to track down the song and then I started following Holly and I love her music - it’s earthy but a little grungy. It’s a vibe that I’m here for in this season.
3. Pulling the Thread with Elise Loehnen
Pulling the Thread is such a well thought out podcast with some really incredible guests that offer a deeper look into what it means to be a human. It is more of a heady, intellectual podcast but I enjoy those types of conversations because they encourage me to go deeper, and think more clearly about some of the subjects I’ve only just grazed the surface. This podcast is one of my favorites to listen to on long flights because I can really focus without being distracted and I have time to take notes and jot down some of the takeaways.
Since I started my own foray into Youtube this year, it was only a matter of time before I became obsessed with youtube’s infinite tutorials, videos, and musical options. My search page is full of sewing tutorials, thrift videos, slow living, film photography, and various sketch shows. I’m going to share my top 3 favorite videos that I’ve either learned from, became inspired by, or have watched multiple times over! I’ve just linked the videos below.
Grainydays is a fab film photographer account and when I have a hard time falling asleep I put on his videos - between the music, the asmr of camera gear, and his dry sense of humour, I am over the top entertained. His account has helped me get inspired as I do more and more film photography when I am traveling - now if I could only get good at the video content portion of it….
2. Katie Steckly
Katie is a fellow Canadian who first introduced me to Notion via her youtube channel - she is full of really great information in bite sized chunks and I have learned SO much from her in regards to how to plan out my content (when I have multiple streams to manage), how to be realistic in creating content, and just generally, she’s got a great chill vibe and is pretty authentic in her approach! I have learned a lot about the content creator world from her.
3. Hitomi Mochizuki
Hitomi’s youtube channel is full of romanticism and slow living vibes. I appreciate her approach to ease and life in general. Sometimes her videos are super hippy dippy, but to be honest I love the calmness and wooey-wooey softness that her voice + music choice invokes. It’s gorgeous watching her be embodied and grounding in her feminine energy and gives me inspiration for how I might be able to do the same. Her videos also have this youthful naivety which makes me remember what it was like to be a daydreamer - so I love to put her videos on at night to regulate the ol’ nervous system.
Not everything that changes your life costs money, though sometimes it will cost you time! Below I am going to share 3 resources/tools that truly improved my quality of life this year!
Going Outside
Spending ample time outside this year has truly improved my life. This year was probably the year I spent the most time outside since I was a young kid. I made it a point to do most of my photoshoots (self or otherwise) outside in the summer, explore the great outdoors even when I traveled to a city, spent time laying in parks under trees, and just soaked up the sun (yes, even in the cold!) Getting outside costs me nothing and it recharges me immensely!
2. Journaling
Phew. Writing saved me this year. I’ve written that before, but I’m not lying. This year I decided to face a lot of my bullshit head on and if I didn’t have a pen and paper to translate the stories in my head I don’t know that I would have gotten as far as I have. I know people talk about journaling all the time, but honestly, I have managed to make writing a daily occurrence (even if it’s only a blog post like this!)
3. Friend time
Making my friends a priority this year was one of the best free resources I could ask for. Whether it was in the form of our Facebook chat, our instagram meme dump chat, or visiting each other in person - spending time with people who appreciate me as I am was HUGE for me. When you recognize that there are people who will accept you in all your weird and wild, the more you realize nothing was wrong with you to begin with!
How did I spend my money this year that actually changed my life? I cannot wait to share with you! Below are the 3 main big investments I made this year that truly changed my life!
This year I invested over $10,000 in coaching with Camille and it was worth every damn penny. She helped me move through some really difficult blocks and stories that I told myself. I will never regret spending this money or time with her because if I hadn’t, I think I might be at the same place I was back in June before I hired her and I definitely didn’t want that energy coming into 2024.
2. Trip to Mexico City with Beth before Body Image Bootcamp
Tacking on a few days in Mexico City before BIBC with Beth was worth the extra money we spent on it - I had never been to Mexico City and it was so glorious to spend time in such a beautiful city and explore the streets and gardens around us. I loved going to the Frida Kahlo house, meeting Tere at the botanical garden, visiting our friend Rob and seeing his art in a local gallery, and eating as much chilaquiles as we could stomach. This was one of those trips that would have been easy to say nay to because of finances, but I am so so glad we went!
3. Investments
I will never regret putting money into investments. I am so thankful that my husband encouraged me to start investing in previous years, but now I’ve got it set up so $20 a week just automatically gets deposited from my chequing account (in addition to larger deposits when I have them). As a creative with a fluctuating income, having my money make money for me takes some of the pressure off which feels so good. My investments have also allowed me to put money towards investing in myself in the form of the Perfectly Natural Revolution for next year with less risk than before!
This will be my last post of 2023 and I cannot wait to see what 2024 brings! I am so thankful for every single one of you who reads or listens to my content - without you, I wouldn’t be able to do this in the way that I can - so thank you for supporting me through the years. I wish you nothing but love & peace for the coming year and I can’t wait for us to create the lives that we dream of!
