GARNET HILL READY TO WEAR SUMMER COLLECTION

This post is sponsored by Garnet Hill.

It feels good to be back in the office, especially as the SVP of Brand Marketing for DYPER™. It has been so fun to meet everyone and to work collaboratively instead of remotely as I have been for three years. My wardrobe certainly needed a pick-me-up and some new office-ready pieces.

This classic black mock-neck midi dress caught my eye because it looks incredibly modern yet comfortable. It is also machine washable and easy to care for.

I paired these leopard tennis shoes with the dress to keep it casual and fun. My office is pretty laid back, and these shoes are just as comfortable as they are a conversation piece. Everyone should own a pair of leopard shoes.

When the cooler months roll around, I can add a cardigan and some boots too! I love the versatility of everything. Be sure to check out Garnet Hill to see their other quality ready-to-wear summer pieces.

Accidental Influencer to SVP of Brand Marketing

Last week, I had the chance to share my story of how I went from being an influencer to SVP of Brand Marketing for DYPER™ on my friend Brett Thornton’s podcast, Just stories with BT. I opened up about how I define failure and success in my own life, as well as what I would want other single parents to know.

Brett and I go back a couple of years. We met on the set of a Living Spaces commercial, and we bonded over our shared experience of being single parents. Brett is the VP of Visual Experience & Retail at Avocado Mattress and started this podcast to host honest conversations around success and failure, and this latest season highlights all female executives! I love what he’s doing!

I’m glad I could be a part of it, and I hope you take a listen to learn more about my perspective. I also hope any single parent or newly divorced parent especially takes a listen because I think Brett and I have a lot of great advice.

Go check it out and be sure to listen to the other episodes too! Let me know what you think!

Journey to Alignment: Trusting in Divine Timing

My dear friend Sam Harper has launched an incredible and supportive podcast called ‘Journey to Alignment.’ The goal of the podcast is to share various journeys of healing and finding true self and the wisdom that comes along the way.

Sam is an executive coach with a background in social work and therapy. She is also a single mother and an incredibly stylish human. She asked me to be on her podcast and share my journey to my own alignment. Though I’m still a work in progress (spoiler alert), I was happy to share what I have discovered so far.

I hope you enjoy listening to my experience. I hope that it encourages you along your healing journey, especially if you are someone that is healing after divorce. Just remember to take it one day at a time.

Check out the podcast here.

How Do I Rebuild My Identity & Worth?

Funny story - The man that married me 14 years ago asked me to be on his podcast and share about rebuilding myself after divorce. Pretty crazy, eh?

I count Ron Merrell as a dear friend even though we haven’t kept in touch all that well. He was a mentor to me as a post-college grad, and he has always remained an encourager from afar.

He recently asked me to join him on his podcast ‘Feel Dumb for Asking’ with his co-host Bo to answer a pretty big question - How do you rebuild your identity and worth after it has been damaged? - after witnessing my evolution over the years.

I can’t say that I have all of the answers or even claim to be an expert on this topic, but I was happy to share what I have learned along the way as I have been doing my best to do exactly that. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope this helps someone out there that is in the process of rebuilding their life.

CELEBRATE YOURSELF

After running a couple of errands today, I popped into a boutique to snag a gift for my mom for Mother’s Day. Minutes later, I had found something (ironically, the store is called FOUND), and then I meandered through the shop with a whisper of a thought, “Why don’t you celebrate yourself too?” Following that, I remembered feelings of jealousy of the other moms being celebrated by their partners, feelings of anger surrounding how motherhood has changed with divorce, shame telling me I should just be thankful I get to be a mom no matter the circumstances, desires for my community to celebrate, and then shame for putting that responsibility of celebration on anyone at all for a made-up holiday🤪...I obviously was triggered anticipating Mother’s Day, headed toward a pity party in a pit, and at the core of it all was a valid longing for celebration. 

A sales lady walked up to me asking if I wanted to buy the candle I was holding in my hand. I told her I’m considering gifting it to myself this Mother’s Day. She quickly followed, “Yeah, girl, pick out what you want instead of hoping he knows what you want.” “I’m actually a single parent, and I thought that maybe this year I would celebrate myself instead of wishing someone else does it,” I said. She paused and said, “That’s exactly what you should do! I was a single mom for 11 years, and it was really hard. For the first five years, I wished to be celebrated, and when other people tried, it never felt right or satisfied me. I realized I needed to do it for myself on Mother’s Day and all the days of motherhood because only I know all of the wins and losses. You are the best person to celebrate YOU, and when someone else does celebrate you, it’ll be a bonus.” I thanked her for her wisdom, I bought the candle, and I found more than I bargained for at that store. 

I am SO grateful for the blessing of motherhood, but even four years later, as strong as I am and as capable as I am, it’s still hard doing it alone, especially this month. So, I want to remind the fellow single moms out there that feel unseen on this upcoming holiday that we need to learn to celebrate ourselves, especially in the hard seasons. And remember, you can be grateful for your kids and still desire to celebrate and acknowledge your accomplishments as a mother. You are not selfish. You are human. You are doing one of the hardest, beautiful things in this life...loving your children unconditionally. 💛 Share this with a single mom that needs to hear this today.