Posts in Personal
Summer Road Race Recap

Normally I sign up for a few races per year, maybe a marathon or two, and stick to daily training. This summer, though, I went all in on more races than I ever have before - and my feelings are honestly pretty mixed. I am incredibly proud of what I did, but I’m not sure if I ever want to do it again! Either way, I walked away from these past few months winning every single one of the four races I entered, with the fifth race (mercifully, in some ways) canceled, and two more on the horizon. Here’s what happened…

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A New Definition for Discipline

At one point in my life, I completely lacked discipline. That’s hard even for me to believe, let alone those who have only known me as a very driven person (read more about that here). Yet it turns out that discipline is a thing that can be built, practiced, and grown as time and life go on, and I’m extremely thankful that I had great example of this all throughout my life.

My definition of discipline, though, has changed as I’ve gotten older…and hopefully a little wiser…

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How I Stay Motivated Every Single Day

As I think back on the questions I often get asked - from running shoe recommendations to what Search Engine Optimization means and everything in between - there are a few topics that consistently come up as they relate to me personally. One big topic of conversation I am often pulled into is how I stay motivated every day to train so hard in running and manage my business while being a mom and living a (hopefully) pretty balanced life.

Naturally, I have been asked a lot how I ‘do it all’ and continue to grind every single day, tired or not, so I’ve given this topic a lot of thought over the years. Here is how I stay motivated every single day, and I hope the takeaways give you motivation for the next task you have to tackle:

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Required Summer Reading for 2022

I have been an avid reader for some time (here are some of my favorites last year!), and while the end of 2021 was not a big time for books in my life, I have started back up again in full force this year. I dove in deep, mostly with fiction, but with nonfiction thrown in as well, adding in some authors I have been hearing about for years but whose books I never picked up.

We’re in the middle of summer already, but there’s still time left to grab a great book and head outside (or stay inside when it’s too hot!), so to that end, here are the books I think are must-reads for the summer of 2022:

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Highlights of 2021

Nobody, including me, knew what to expect coming into 2021. The world was still partially shut down with some limited re-openings, vaccines were just starting to roll out, and there was only a small hope of normalcy on the horizon. The news seemed mostly negative (well, I guess it still does), traveling was still a question mark, and all of us realized we were in it for the long haul.

As I sit here in the last month of the year, I can truly say that I had no dreams of doing the things I have been able to over the past 12 months. There have been a lot of highs and lows, but in the spirit of celebrating the joy and peace that we want so desperately out of a holiday season, here are my personal and business highlights over the past year. Enjoy reliving the best moments with me!

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Our Smith Mountain Lake Family Vacation

The last time I went on vacation was a trip to Cleveland, and while there are some good memories and pictures, it was mostly very stressful to travel with a 2-year-old…and in hindsight it probably wasn’t the best idea in the first place. I also haven’t vacationed with my family in a long time, so when my Mom brought up the idea of a summer lake trip with everyone who could make it, I was all in.

A little over a week ago, I loaded up two cars (Nathan and Oscar only stayed for a few days) and headed out to Smith Mountain Lake, a place I spent so many summer Sundays with friends after church playing on zip lines, jet skis, and taking boat rides out for ice cream. Since I moved around so much as a kid there aren’t a lot of places in Virginia that are nostalgic for me, but this one is at the top of the list…

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Top Books of 2021: Part 1

As an avid reader, I’m constantly looking for book recommendations that encompass business, good stories, or a mix of both. And as I pore through these books, some good and some not-so-great, I want to share the best of the best with you! Whether you want to take your small business mindset to the next level, read a good memoir, or immerse yourself in some captivating fiction, here are the top books of 2021 so far.

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Lessons from the Virtual One City Marathon

Almost exactly a year ago, I lined up for the Newport News One City Marathon with the goal of qualifying for Boston. This would require a finish time of 3:30, with an average pace of 8:00/mile. My training up to that point told me this was possible, but anything can happen in 26.2 miles, and I was pretty nervous going into it. I’ll spare all the details (you can read more here), but the end result was a Boston-qualifying marathon in a finishing time well below my goal.

And then, of course, everything got cancelled. I’ll skip over 2020 because nobody wants to re-live that mess again, but it’s only in the last few months that live races have started again. Personally, I’m not quite ready to sign up for a mass in-person event (even though a lot of companies have pulled this off safely!), but when the Virtual One City Marathon opened up, I knew I wanted to test my fitness while supporting a great local business (Flat Out Events).

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Reflections on Turning 30

Since this blog is really a resource for small business owners wanting to know more about online marketing, I rarely get personal with my posts - but today, I’m making an exception. Yesterday I turned 30 and yes, my birthday is indeed on Valentine’s Day (and I love it). I also celebrated my 10-year wedding anniversary less than a month ago, and with two big back-to-back milestones, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting about the past, where I am now, and what’s to come.

As I look back on a year I would like to forget in many regards, though, I have come to realize that I am a better human being today than I was even a year ago, let alone as a wide-eyed 19-year-old girl getting married a decade prior. I can’t possibly condense thirty years into one blog, but if I had to give my best advice to a younger version of myself, here’s what I know now that I wish I did before…

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From Photography to Online Marketing: My Story

When I first got called a serial side hustler, I was a little taken aback. Owning my own business seems like such a natural way of life right now (it’s been over 4 years since I’ve done anything else!) that I hardly think of it as anything different. And yet, this life I lead was started by a side hustle, a dream that many can relate to, whether you’re working hard to build a retail business, selling oils, or hustling hard online to create a life that you love.

It was with this concept in mind that I talk to Josie from the Josieology Podcast a short time ago, as I relived my experience of growing and launching into both my first and second side hustles - because not too long ago (a year this month!) I finally decided to transition from wedding photography to online marketing as my main focus. What a year it has been…

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A Day in the Life of...Me!

I wrote a few years ago about what a day in my life generally looks like, and it surprisingly turned out to be one of my most popular blogs. Since then, things have changed as business has shifted and Willow has gotten older…and, of course, when she started daycare a little over a year ago. So as an update to what life looks like for me on a day-to-day basis, here’s what I do!

Note: I feel like I have to mention first that I have learned to not adhere to a schedule so strictly that I can’t give myself a little grace, breathing room, or a random day to sleep in here and there. Then the rest of my day can fluctuate as needed.

Morning…

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What I'm Reading Lately | Summer 2020

If you’ve been around here for a minute, you know that I’m an avid reader. For me, hard copy is the way to go - while I understand the convenience of e-books and audio books, I want to hold paper in my hands and physically turn the pages. Maybe I’m old school, but I swear it helps me both concentrate better and enjoy what’s in front of me even more.

During quarantine I’ve been reading a ton of books. Most of the time I gravitate towards good stories, usually fiction, that take my mind off the here and now and let me escape a little bit. With the events of the world going on right now, my priorities have shifted a bit as I’ve worked to educate myself on the history of civil rights and the Black Lives Matter movement. Additionally, as I added a new member to my team, I realized how important it is to learn how to be a good manager. I’ve managed people in the past, but I want to do it well, and I have a lot of learning to do.

Yet, of course, I want to read fun books, too, so here’s an even mix of all three. Take a dive into one or all of them as you add to your summer reading list for 2020!

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Happy 3rd Birthday, Willow!

I think we can all agree that this last year has been wild. Today, the craziest thing happening to me is that I’m now the parent of a 3-year-old child when, exactly 3 years ago today, I didn’t even know she existed (read about her adoption story here).

I could talk for days about motherhood - the ups, the downs, the difficulties, the joys, and all the unexpected things that accompany keeping a tiny human alive - but today I just want to celebrate the fact that she was born and continues to grow each day, taller and sassier and smarter than I could have imagined…

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Top 10 Running Gear Finds

One of the huge appeals of running right now (and anytime, really) is that it’s so simple. At the core of running, you can get dressed, throw on a pair of shoes, and start immediately. You don’t have to wait for the gym to be open, travel anywhere (usually), or do anything special to prep. A lot of people (myself included!) don’t even suggest stretching beforehand, so it’s quick and easy to just get out the door. Right now, a lot of people have taken up running and ignited or re-ignited a passion for the simple movement of feet pounding the pavement.

Over time, though, I’ve added quite a few things to my running toolbelt that make life a whole lot easier. At the risk of over complicating something that remains simple, running beginners need a place to start. So if you’re new to running and want to know the best running gear, or if you’ve been a runner for years and are constantly looking for ways to improve, here are my top 10 running gear finds, including the best running shoes (no, I’m not using Nike Vaporflys!) and more.

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My Top 7 Must-Have Quarantine Items

While I hope I never get used to being quarantined at home, I have gotten in the swing of things a lot more than at the end of March when every day felt like a challenge. With no people to see and all my events cancelled, I’ve found myself in the push-and-pull of having more time in some areas and much less time in others. Some days I’m incredibly productive, and other days I just sit and read for hours (while Willow sleeps, anyways).

Regardless, there are a few things that have been my lifeline during this time, so I’m sharing them today. There are new finds (a fun podcast, a very simple app) and some of my trusty fallbacks that have been with me for years. Read on for some at-home inspiration, and let me know what YOU can’t live without right now!

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The 5 Best Books I Read in 2019

If you’ve been reading my blog or following me on Instagram for any length of time, you already know that I’m an avid book reader. There have been seasons in my life of not reading very much (I basically stopped when I had a newborn), but my love of it has never gone away. My usual reads are historical or international fiction novels, but as I look through the best books I read last year, there are three (!!!) biographical-type novels that make the list and are completely nonfictional. So that should say a lot!

If you’re looking for a new book or two, here are my favorites from last year…and if you want to know some favorites from this year so far, click here to find out!

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Qualifying for Boston: My Marathon Story

As of today at 10:24am, I officially became a Boston-qualified marathoner. I’ve talked about my journey in running a lot (click here or here for more), so today I’m focusing on exactly what it was like to run the One City Marathon and do it under my goal pace of 3:30. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at running a marathon, I’m breaking it down mile by mile - with all the before and after, too!

The week before the race was taper week, which meant I still ran every day but cut way back on mileage and intensity. All my runs were easy/slow pace, as much as I could hold back. The day before was mostly rest after a 3-mile shakeout run. By the end of the week, I felt completely out of shape, like I had lost all my fitness during this time. I knew this wasn’t true, so I had to fight against it mentally, but for months I’ve been pushing and running hard and increasing mileage, so to cut all that back right before the race was not my favorite feeling. Saturday felt incredibly long, and I just wanted the race to hurry up and start.

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The Entrepreneur Experience with Amy Porterfield

I first discovered Amy Porterfield years ago when I was working at a desk job full-time, and I continued to follow her throughout the years as her business continued to grow and change. When I jumped into the realm of small business marketing, I decided to invest in her List Builder’s Society course. I loved it, learned from it, and grew as a result, so when she announced The Entrepreneur Experience, a conference for business owners just like me, I was all in. Add to that the fact that it was in San Diego – a dream city to visit! – and I booked my tickets and started to plan.

Now that I’m home, I can look back on the conference and say that it was worth every penny and every second I spent to get there (although I was SO ready to squeeze Willow again when I came home!). I have pages of notes and a whole lot of stuff to process - plus some REALLY exciting new projects! - but here are some of my biggest takeaways from all that happened…

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