Sharing this with you makes me smile – I love thinking back to the girl who felt confident and beautiful in that rainbow shirt and the girl who refused to attend her college classes in baggy t-shirts and Ugg boots and instead opted for a sequined top. Because despite what I think about those choices now, in each of those seasons I was intentionally using personal style to my advantage.

Spring is a season for new beginnings – as the flowers start blooming and the birds begin singing, our souls (and our homes) start longing for some renewal. I don’t know about you, but as soon as the weather starts warming up, I start to get the itch to throw open the windows, let in some fresh air, and clean as if my life depends on it.

While foundational health practices are essential, sometimes they aren't enough. This is where many of us find ourselves—doing all the right things but not seeing the desired results. So, what do we do next?

Today, I am thrilled to share the highlights from an insightful conversation with my friend and certified integrative nutrition and holistic health coach, Jordan Clapp. In this episode, we dive into the essential role that nutrition and health play in achieving a balanced and flourishing life. I highly recommend tuning into the entire conversation, but I’ve summarized the highlights below. 

To flourish means to “grow or develop in a healthy and vigorous way; to suddenly perform or develop in an impressively successful way.”

Like I mentioned earlier, I have several goals for this year and while the main focus is my health, I also have family, career, and spiritual goals. I love how the definition for the word “flourish” taps into each of these areas. It’s not limited to my physical health. Hence, the power of choosing a single word.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and for many of us, that means we’re gearing up to host Thanksgiving dinner. Given that, I thought it’d be a perfect time to share my step-by-step approach to hosting incredible dinner parties. I hope that this is a helpful guide that you can come back to time and time again, whether it’s the holiday season or just a random gathering of friends.

We spend a great deal of time at work. Like Annie Dillard once said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” I encourage you to look around your office and see what steps you can take to add simple luxuries to your workday because in the grand scheme of things, they will add up and lead to a luxurious life!

It's been almost 9 months since my last post and I figured it was time for a life update! I've been practicing what I preach and ruthlessly eliminating anything in my life that did not help me take care of what is most important to me. Over the past 9 months, that has meant that the Elegant Balance podcast and blog had to take a break. But... I'm back!

In this episode, I’m chatting with my guest, Ruthie Sterrett from the Consistency Corner about the power of choosing a word of the year. If you’re ready to live intentionally in 2024, you won’t want to miss it!

In this episode, I’m visiting with my friend, Dr. Stephanie Kunst. She is sharing her experiences as an Elegant Balance Academy student with you! We discuss the challenges she faced and the way the Elegant Balance Academy helped her create a work-life balance she loves - leaving her feeling more present and patient than ever before!

I wanted this episode to be a part two to the last episode because I took my own advice and did some of the things that I recommended there and wanted to share with you what that looks like for our family and just how truly simple creating holiday magic can be.

Around the holidays we are bombarded with demands on our schedules – your own holiday work parties, invitations from friends and family, and then your kids’ Christmas class parties and concerts. All of this on top of shopping for gifts, planning menus, cleaning your home, attending church, and trying to squeeze in as many family traditions as possible. A time that should be filled with joy quickly becomes overwhelming.

With two kids now in grade school, I am finding myself packing lunchboxes on a regular basis. Over the past few years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks for simplifying this somewhat overwhelming task and wanted to share them with you in hopes that it will simplify your life and open up space for you to focus on other priorities.

As summer's relaxed days fade, the school routine takes center stage. While some may long for structure, others might be reluctant to bid farewell to those carefree summer moments. Amidst this shift, I've found myself pondering ways to make the transition smoother for everyone involved.

As I walked and let my mind wander, I came to the conclusion that the mantra “quality over quantity” could apply to so many aspects of working women’s lives. And when truly embraced, help us along on our journey towards an elegantly balanced life.

So, call it what you want – “soft girl summer”, intentional summer, a summer slowdown… in this post I want to share 25 simple activities that you can do to slow down this summer, be present with your kids, and squeeze as much joy out of this season as you do those lemons in your fresh lemonade.

When we apply that concept to our own work-life balance we end up with a work-life balance that is beautiful in its simplicity and effectiveness. An elegant balance is about rejecting the notion that having a career and children must be overwhelming and stressful. Sure, we all have our moments, but we don’t accept that as our fate. Instead, pursuing an elegantly balanced life involves defining our ideally balanced life and pursuing it passionately; curating each aspect of our lives so as to maximize simplicity, beauty, and joy.

You don’t “achieve” work-life balance. It is not some end-goal that you will wake up one day having achieved, never to be thought of again. It’s a journey.