Have you ever seen a status update or tweet and thought, I can’t believe someone would share that online? As a communication studies doctoral candidate, the bulk of my research interests lie in how we decide what to disclose online and why. Overshare has been declared the word of the year twice now (2008 and 2014) and is defined loosely as sharing an inappropriate amount of information about one’s personal life.

A fascinating study about Facebook use (that I suspect would be true of other social media as well) actually found that most users tend to underestimate their audience by nearly seventy-five percent. What this means is that when you log online and post something, you’re imagining just a quarter of the size of the audience that actually sees the post. The readers we imagine are the ones we already communicate with regularly – closer family, friends, and maybe even coworkers. But we may forget that our network extends out pretty far, and we end up “oversharing” details about our lives to our extended networks.

Different sites set up ways to deal with this concern about context collapse (having multiple different networks in one place) online, but ultimately it is your choice what you do. You can choose to take the least common denominator approach and share very little, or use barriers on the site to disclose to some but not all of your network.

Understanding that broadcasting out to everyone risks anyone seeing your posts is the first step in managing your online presence.

Natalie Pennington is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, where she will graduate with a PhD in Communication Studies in May. She studies computer-mediated and interpersonal communication, with a particular interest in social media use. You can read more about her research on her website nataliepennington.com and hear more about her thoughts on technology on Twitter and Instagram: @natpenn.

It happens every time. The inexplicable pull towards the top of a waterfall, a white pillar becoming layers and lines that explode into droplets. There is magic in experiencing water like this―water connecting earth and sky in one perfect display of power. There is uncertainty too; a second on an unsteady rock, or a limb pulled into the surging water’s core and suddenly beauty is transformed into fear.

Careers and waterfalls. In Costa Rica, the latter is easier to find and tends to be more gratifying.

In times of stress I seek out waterfalls. I seek them out for their beauty and for the inevitable explosion of green that results from living so close to water and energy combined. But I seek them also to reflect, to make sure that I am still choosing this life instead of the other way around.

These months, I am grappling with the urge to follow a dream, the pull to create instead of follow. I am struggling with questions like “what is a career?” and big topics like passion, fulfillment, and purpose.

It has happened several times―a hand pulled back after reaching too far into the current, encountering something infinitely more powerful. There is always room for awe and doubt. In the best moments— experiencing careers and waterfalls—there is room for both.

Chelsey Perron believes in travel, as it forces people to change their ordinary. She began her travel journeys in college and has now lived and traveled in 12 countries. Her resume is quite colorful, including everything from “cupcake decorator” to “marketing manager,” with plenty of outdoor adventures to fill in the gaps. She currently lives in Costa Rica. www.taproottravel.com. 

Imagery provided by Chelsey Perron.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to scour antique shops and flea markets in search of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. So when it came time to plan my wedding, it seemed only natural to incorporate these finds into our special day. From vintage china that could be re-used on every anniversary to 1970s coupe glasses from my parents’ wedding, I wanted our table to be more than just plates and glasses: I wanted it to tell a story. This love affair with vintage tabletop accessories led me to the beauty that is Casa de Perrin.

Casa de Perrin is a curated boutique rental company located in Los Angeles, California, specializing in tabletop and decor. The company was founded by husband and wife duo, Josh and Diana Perrin, who believe “that a certain magic that takes place across a dining table, with good friends and good wine, becomes infinitely more magical when decorated in 24K gold flatware and drop-dead heirloom treasures.” Josh and Diana realize, however, that magic does not come easily. For the past several years, they have scoured the globe to build their collection of vintage gems that have meticulously stood the test of time. Did I mention that they also have flawless taste? From delicate lace china to colorful crystal goblets and salt cellars, there isn’t a single piece in their inventory that won’t make your jaw drop.

So whether you are hosting a lavish fête or an intimate dinner party with friends, take a cue from Casa de Perrin and set your table with more than just plates and glasses. Add a pink crystal goblet or an heirloom dinner plate and bring a little magic to your table.

After beginning her career as an intern at Vogue Magazine, Colleen Kennedy Cohen went on to manage events in-house for renowned brands such as Donna Karan, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and Cartier. She has been planning luxury events throughout the U.S. and Europe for major fashion houses since 2006.  After the birth of her daughter, Colleen launched Colleen Kennedy Events to bring her luxury brand experience to private clients. Currently, she lives in New York City and works as an event planner and certified health coach. With a love for all things beautiful, coupled with an eye for design, Colleen brings a versatile and fresh approach to each project she takes on. Follow her: Instagram: CKCohen; Pinterest: Colleen Kennedy Events.

Imagery provided by Casa de Perrin

For those who thrive on flux, flow, and fluidity.

Hello artists. Hello businesswomen. Hello re-inventors of modern living.

If you’ve turned your profession into a masterpiece re-imagining how business is done, you’re in the right place. Because you are a Renaissance Woman. Your vocation is to tame the ocean tide of “business as usual.” You thrive on forging the way, and you’re a magician in your industry. This is what the Renaissance, the rebirth, of business is about.

The number of women-led business initiatives is growing. It’s inspiring to see venture capital firms, business incubators, and authors writing about and focusing on women in business. Small or large, these visions are empowering commerce in many ways.

What makes this adventure “new again” is the way that we’re employing our opportunities. Renaissance Women are enterprising―they produce beautiful content and are released from the ordinary. They are creative and impassioned.

Women like India Hicks (C&W Issue Three) are the enterprising multi-hyphenate magnates that embody the fluidity necessary in today’s modern world. India tackles issues that are important, adds artistic vision to business ventures, grows wholeheartedly with her family, and empowers others around her. In essence, she flows with the abundance that life sets forth.

Ingrid Vanderveldt is on a mission to empower a billion women by 2020. Her EBW2020 vision includes partnerships that marry expertise, clients, and companies to focus on women’s business issues. Talk about Renaissance.

Aspiring women live again during evolving and transformative times. The “classical” ways of government, business, and life are changing, made contemporary with every flux of global change.

We are explorers again, stretching ourselves in new ways of thinking. Renaissance Women meet this challenge and help one another to thrive because of it.

Bethany Miller is an explorer in life and in business. She’s an airline pilot, military officer, and world traveler. Fascinated by global issues and the business of business, Bethany is a doctoral candidate at Université Paris-Dauphine in Paris, France where she researches extraordinary employees in chaotic work environments. www.GoodGlobalCitizen.com

Imagery from CAKE&WHISKEY Issue 3 by Brittan Goetez

When I started working for myself, I said yes to everything―every client, every project, every time I was asked to cut my rate. I was so afraid of not having enough work and not being able to pay my bills that I repeatedly sacrificed my own worth. But I also couldn’t forget this advice: “Always find a way to get to yes.”

There’s a lot of hullabaloo around the power of “Yes.” And saying yes can be very beneficial, especially when we’re in transition―between jobs, after ending a relationship, starting a business. These are times when it’s good to explore and experiment, as we shed one skin to make room for another, one that’s more aligned with who we are, who we’re becoming, who we want to be.

In my early entrepreneurial days, a whole lot of yes wasn’t a bad thing. After a while, though, always saying yes was no longer necessary, and I was at risk of becoming an entrepreneurial tart―giving it away without regard to my vision for the business, much less the value of what I had to offer. Eventually I understood that getting to yes is about negotiation, about creating a win-win.

So I started saying “No.” No to projects that aren’t a good fit. No to clients who don’t feel right. No to anyone who asks me to cut my rate. Recently, I shook my head no twice in one week. After all these years, there was still a flutter of panic. There was still disappointment. But there was also faith that something better would come along. Because when we eliminate options, we create focus. We close the wrong doors so the right one can open. And it always does―if we sit with the fear, believe in our worth, and flat-out refuse to accept anything less.

Nicole Christie is a writer and storyteller who splits her time between Seattle and Montreal. She is also the principal and creative director of NICO, Inc.―a one-woman firm specializing in fresh, honest, engaging employee and marketing communications for Fortune 500 corporations, leading-edge creative firms, and rapidly growing new technology companies. You can soak up her solopreneur wisdom at http://nicolechristie.com/.

There’s a part of me that wishes I’d never sat on a horse.

It’s a small part, deep down: a cold spore amongst an entire being of burning passion. But still it’s there.

Sometimes the burning passion and the icy doubt come crashing together in a perfect storm, and I find myself on a plane, flipping through pictures saved on my phone.

Nearly all were of me and my horse, whom I had just made the decision to retire. But this isn’t just a horse. He is eleven years of my life: a scholarship money purchase that became my travel companion. He made me a professional equestrian. I always referred to him as my first husband (a phrase that my soon-to-be ex-husband never really grew to appreciate).

The struggle of now running a business around fragile, unpredictable animals, and the end of my best friend’s competitive career hit me with a feeling of regret. Yet my job as a C-Horse Equestrian LLC, training and competing horses, is to make sure I do right by the horses put in my care, and it’s a passion of mine that never wavers. Although the competitive chapter of my career may be closing, I have a feeling there are many more lessons for my tall, dark, handsome, and four-legged man to teach me.

Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and onto my horse.

As a third-generation equine professional, Cassidy Sitton has horses in her blood. After working in public relations and marketing for a time, her four-legged friends called her back. Now she finds herself newly single, running a business, and figuring out what “life after thirty” is supposed to mean. She is the owner of C-Horse Equestrian LLC and serves as the Communications Chairman for the North Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association. She is also the mother of one very enthusiastic yellow pup named Peter Pan.

There are great benefits to taking time off. Truly off. Most professionals, especially entrepreneurs, find it extremely difficult to put the phone down, walk away from the computer, and forget about work altogether. But it can be done.

As a creative entrepreneur with a home studio, it can be so easy to sneak away for a bit of sewing or get up early to write on the weekend. It takes serious effort to not do it, actually. Aside from leaving my phone and laptop “off,” here is my trick for slowing down.

Brunch.

It might be an urban cliché, the weekend date over eggs. But, for me and my family it isn’t that at all.

While we sit down nearly every night together, at brunch we are so much more relaxed. From the food served―butter and jam on bread some days―to our attire (pajamas preferred), brunch is chilling out together. The conversations are sillier, the meal is leisurely, and the winter sunshine fuels us as much as the adults’ caffeine.

Even if we go out to brunch, our spots are casual (but take reservations so we don’t have to wait in line with kids). The kids are given my sketchbook to entertain themselves while we wait for oysters. My husband and I intertwine our fingers under the table and don’t miss our phones.

It may only be an hour, but brunch is the hour that sets us up for dedicated family time. It is the hour that shows us we can indeed turn off and tune into others. It is the hour that it takes to give us the rest of the day.

Cheryl Arkison is a writer, quilter, and mom. She writes and teaches on quilting, craft, creativity, food, and family—all from her dining room empire. From this space she wrote her first book, Sunday Morning Quilts (co-authored with Amanda Jean Nyberg) and her second book, A Month of Sundays. Her third book will be released in 2015. A proud first generation Ukrainian, she is committed to not letting the artistry of food and craft from her heritage pass by unnoticed in the modern age. Cheryl is the mother of three kidlets and wife to her entrepreneur husband. www.cherylarkison.com

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath

Recently, I have been struggling with self-doubt, which plays a tug-of-war game with the butterflies in my stomach: Doubt pins down their wings. The butterflies fight back and try to remind me that yes, the change they’re leading me to is valid and right. But the struggle leads to frustration and immobility: I make little progress on my goals.

In a moment of frustration last week, I looked up the meaning of the word “doubt” and discovered that it has both Latin and French origins. The French definition goes back to the word doǔter, or to fear.

By doubting myself, I was fearing myself.

Then another quote came to my mind, this one by Maryanne Williamson: “Our greatest fear isn’t that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most.”

This resonated along with my new understanding of the word doubt and resulted in a new sensation: self-trust.

By leaning more into the light and realizing that I do trust, not fear, myself, I quiet the doubt. To face it dead-on and add my strength and desire to the butterflies, I can quiet the self-doubt.

It’s time to start.

After effectively retiring in the fall of 2014 from her corporate career running operations for a high-growth healthcare start-up company, Meghan Bollenback reinvented her professional life by becoming a writer and creative in Washington, D.C.  You can join Meghan as she navigates this new stage by following her blog www.megbollenback.com, where she discusses the process of intentionally crafting a valuable and joyful career.

My personal network developed quite innocently in Beecher’s handmade cheese kitchen; this is where my college girlfriends and I began to discuss our careers. It started with my request for advice about a difficult coworker during a girls’ night get-together in what became our safe haven, a room of our own. The Cellar, their wine and cheese cave, to this day envelops us like a secret hideaway and the shared plates encourage conversation.

In our late twenties and at the dawn of our thirties, our careers blossomed. No longer green shoots fresh out of school, we had earned the larger responsibilities and our professional decisions felt weightier. Our discussions also became weightier, talking through how to manage teams for the first time and exploring what we each fundamentally want from our careers.

Together we’ve faced setbacks and disappointments, we’ve faltered and then carried on. Through it all, we’re growing in our respective fields: banking, law, consulting, and marketing. Most recently, we gathered to toast a new job (congrats, Mairead!) and a promotion (that one was mine).

I am proud of these women, and ever so grateful for their support and advice. I wish for everyone a tight, trusted network that provides a place to vent, to find encouragement and honest advice, and to learn from one another. You can cover a lot over a good glass of wine and some of the “world’s best” mac and cheese.

While she’s almost an official New Yorker, now that she has spent the past eight years working for a large investment bank in New York City, Jean Blosser still cherishes her Midwestern roots, growing up in Columbus, Ohio. She is an alumnus of Boston College and enjoys her whiskey neat.

Even in my active pursuit to cherish life, I still get annoyed when I can’t find a parking spot, defensive when someone offers me constructive criticism, and mad when I don’t meet my goal in the gym. But what really burns me up is that I let these minor upsets, these silly grievances, these everyday this-is-life occurrences sour my mood.

Daily annoyances do not deserve my heartache. In my opinion, they do not even deserve my nod towards the negative. I’m trying (almost desperately) to change how I view these little bits of the imperfect in my life. I’m trying to take them for what they are: unavoidable and unimpressive. They aren’t worthy of emotional turmoil or frustration. They should be acknowledged only to push me into cultivating and pursuing my coping method: the thing that allows me to brush off red lights, printers without paper, and no creamer for my coffee.

Perspective is my method, making good times glow like the wonder of fireflies sparkling on a summer night and adding clarity to the bad times.

Don’t wait until a life-threatening car wreck or the loss of a job for perspective to serve its purpose. Use perspective now. Right now. Use it to show that the irritation of everyday this-is-life moments can be stomped out simply with a zest for life.

Save heartache for when your perspective determines that it is a time for heartache. Until then, listen to beautiful music in traffic and giggle that the restaurant gave you regular soda when you asked for diet. Perspective has the power to bring joy to these moments.

Elaine Bailey is currently a full-time student majoring in writing, rhetoric and communication. When she’s not working on papers, she is spending time with her family and friends or pursuing her passion for travel. She lives life joyfully and wishes to radiate that joy, zest, and excitement for life to everyone she meets.

Monkey mind. That relentless chatter that fills your head when you’re snug in bed and all you want to do is sleep. Yet, all you can think about is tomorrow’s big meeting, the kids’ schedules, making plans with your husband, your shopping list, what you’re doing with your life…

My sister Laura and I thought we were destined to a lifetime of sleepless nights. Thankfully, we were not. Our answer was meditation.

Meditation isn’t some magical, mystical thing that’s hard to do. Laura gets out her meditation pillow, settles in and just pays attention to her breath, flowing in and out. “I immediately feel calmer, more grounded.” she tells me. “If I take just five minutes to sit with my breath in the morning, I feel a real sense of clarity. At night, it helps me wind down.”

I’m a fan of guided meditations. I love the self-hypnosis that happens in guided meditation. It really takes me to a place where I can relax at night, or turn on the focus and concentration during the day.

As women, we are so busy taking care of everyone and everything else that we don’t often take time for ourselves. Meditation allows us to nurture ourselves, and ignore all else. In the process, we’ve become calmer, saner, more able to attend to the daily distractions of life with ease.

Best of all? It’s free. We can meditate on the road or at home. No gym membership is needed, no fancy running shoes. Just us. One breath at a time.

Laura Pils was born four minutes before her sister Linda Mastandrea and has always considered herself the “big sister.” Attending the University of Illinois together, the twins developed their independence with Linda majoring in speech communication and Laura in marketing and business administration. Laura went on to work in the corporate world, got married, had two wonderful boys, then started her own extremely successful marketing company. Linda became a Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair racing and attended law school. She is a well-known public speaker and writer. Together, they’ve launched a women’s wellness blog to share their journey toward health and wellness with women everywhere. www.womenswellnessminute.com

Early last week my husband, Bear, and I received a phone call from our friend Oma inviting us to help pick her bumper crop of luscious plums. We donned boots and hats, hurriedly packed up our buckets, and headed out.

I love Oma and Opa’s farm with its babble of turkeys and chickens, friendly dogs leaping about in greeting, and dirt tracks meandering around old barns. Mostly I love it because Oma and Opa are there. Survivors of World War II and the Hungarian Revolution, they are feisty, hilarious and wise, full of the commonsense wisdom that helps one survive wars and economic upheaval. When I arrived in Australia, knowing nothing about farming, they welcomed me into their family and opened my eyes to their incredible world of self-sufficiency.

They’re in their 80s now but are still planting fruit trees and butchering gigantic pigs, making their own hams and sausages, cheese, bread, and preserves. Their prodigious skills are surpassed only by their generosity. I’ve never left their house without a load of homemade preserves, bottles of Oma’s eye-popping home brew, a new recipe, or books I simply have to read.

We had a marvelous time out in the plum orchard, swapping stories and sharing recipes for plum brandy, cordial, jam, and cobbler. When our buckets were full to overflowing we joined Opa at the house for a good visit and icy glasses of homemade raspberry cordial.

As we drove home, my eyes stung with tears as I thought about Oma and Opa’s journey. A journey of hardship and of rebuilding amongst the plums and Australian sun. They start fresh every day, as we all should, building a beautiful, productive life.

Krista Bjorn is a wood-burning artist, goat farmer, author, writer, and photographer. Although she was born in Canada, raised in the USA, and shaped by her European roots, she now lives on a goat farm in Queensland, Australia with her husband, Bear. There, she celebrates anything that leads to healing, thriving, and loving. http://www.ramblingtart.com/

Imagery provided by Krista Bjorn

The first time I opened the heavy white doors to the courthouse, I was terrified. The January air was cold and thin and every click my heels made on the marble floor sounded like the ticking of a cartoon bomb. I was Wylie Coyote about to run over a cliff with a bouquet of dynamite. I could tell from the eyes that greeted me in the hallway not one of them understood; no one who knew me before my divorce was okay with the fact that I NEEDED to change.

With my mother’s voice echoing in my head “Ami, a closed fist can receive nothing,” I sat with my hands open on my lap for the next 3 hours. Like a yogi in meditation. I had to let my past go.

I wish I had known then how many good things were in store for me. I still fail (a lot). BUT I have mastered the art of how to not let failing shatter me. I have learned to live in the moment and not concern myself with anything else.

There is a theory that time is immutable; we can try to change its course, but it WILL reach its destination regardless. So while I enjoy my adventure and navigate the ripples, I will prepare for the possibility that one day I’ll get everything I ever dreamed of.

Maybe I already have.

Ami Needham is a recovering traditionalist who now proudly carries a Bohemian banner. She grew up on the Oklahoma plains before moving to Kentucky almost 15 years ago. She has served on multiple nonprofit boards benefiting the homeless and art education for youth. She is happiest spending time with her boys on the water and suffers from an incurable wanderlust. @thepreppybohemian

These tacos impress in name and with their contrast of bold flavors and textures, but they taste like they require much more effort than they actually do.

For a family supper, I like to serve them with a side of mixed roasted veggies (Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, beets and parsnips are my winter favorites). Since the recipe easily doubles or even triples, they’re a great option for the gathering of friends. A “taco bar,” providing an array of choose-your-own toppings: sliced avocado or guacamole, Greek yogurt, grated cheese, lime wedges, cilantro, “quick-pickled” red onion (method below), brown rice, and fresh greens like arugula or dandelion greens makes even weeknight entertaining doable.

And a few beers fit into this mix quite well.

However I serve them, I like knowing that the meal is packed with nutrients: calcium and vitamin K from the kale and cauliflower, protein and silica from the chickpeas, more protein and magnesium from the pumpkin seeds. That’s not to forget the anti-inflammatory properties of the turmeric and garlic.

Though I’ve long been a believer, this recipe is a strong affirmation that healthy and delicious are one and the same.

 Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Chickpea Tacos with Winter Salsa Verde

Serves 4

• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 14-oz can Chickpeas; drain, rinse, pat dry with a kitchen towel
• ¼ cup + 2-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon ground Turmeric
• Dash Cayenne (bit more if you like it spicy)
• 4-5 large leaves Tuscan Kale, stems removed
• 1 head Cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1-2 tablespoons Chili Powder
• 2 large Garlic Cloves, unpeeled
• 2 teaspoons Capers
• 1 Lemon
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Serve with:

• 8 small corn tortillas
• “Quick-Pickled” Red Onion (simply slice a red onion and marinate in enough raw apple cider vinegar to cover for 30 minutes)
• Cilantro

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Toast the pumpkin seeds on a large baking tray in the oven during this preheating time, then use the same tray for the chickpeas. It takes 10-15 minutes until the seeds are browned, puffed and nutty. Set aside for later use.

2. On the baking tray, toss the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of oil, turmeric, cayenne, and a generous pinch of salt until evenly coated. Roast for 30 minutes, stir, then continue roasting another 15-25 minutes, until they’re dried out and crisp.

3. Place the kale in a bowl and gently “massage” it with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt until it wilts. Set aside. This process tones down the bitterness of raw kale.

4. Next, spread the cauliflower on a large baking tray and toss with 1-2 tablespoons of oil, enough chili powder to coat, and a generous pinch of sea salt. Place the unskinned garlic cloves on this tray. Roast 30 minutes then remove the softened garlic and set aside. Stir the cauliflower, then continue roasting 10-15 minutes until all sides are darkened and crispy.

5. Finally, the salsa verde. Coarsely chop the wilted kale, ¼ cup of the toasted pumpkin seeds and capers before adding to a food processor. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and add to the machine along with a good squeeze of lemon juice, a large pinch of sea salt, and some cracked black pepper. Pulse a few times to incorporate, then let the machine run while drizzling in ¼ cup of oil. If the sauce is thick, gradually blend in 1-2 tablespoons of water to loosen. Taste and adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Serving notes: Though not necessary, it’s nice to toast the tortillas in the oven (place directly on rack for a few minutes per side) before serving. To serve, spoon a thick line of salsa verde directly down the middle of a tortilla. Pile on a few roasted cauliflower florets and a small handful of crispy chickpeas. Top with the “quick-pickled” red onion and cilantro leaves then sprinkle with a few of the reserved toasted pumpkin seeds.

Make Ahead: The crispy chickpeas can be made 2 days in advance if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The salsa verde can be made the day ahead and then stored in a covered container in the fridge.

Marci Cornett is a (mostly) plant-based chef who promotes health-supportive cuisine and the development of sustainable food systems. After graduating from the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York, she worked in several professional kitchens including the renowned vegetarian restaurant, Cafe Paradiso, in Cork City, Ireland. She develops and publishes nourishing recipes and writes about the latest thinking concerning nutrition and food issues on her blog, marcicornett.com. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Imagery provided by Marci Cornett

“I want to run a nonprofit someday.”

I spoke these words with confidence every day my senior year of college, when family, friends, and professionals alike asked my plans for the “big, scary future.”

I may not have sounded so confident had I known I’d step into this role at age 22.

Being COO of Young Professional Women in Energy is enlightening, empowering, and about 50 million associated synonyms. It even inspired me to launch my side business, She Enlightened, which brings meditation and peace to women and girls.

Out of all of the qualities I’ve had to acquire to keep a growing nonprofit afloat, the one I had to learn the quickest is confidence.

Here’s How To Open Up to Your Confidence:

Close your eyes, and spread yourself out. Let your shoulders relax, sit firmly on the ground, and spread your arms to rest on your knees.

Taking up space releases hormones of power and confidence into your body. Sitting with intention will evoke a surge of power.

• Call to mind an area of your life where you are holding yourself back. Any career, relationship, financial or living situation. Where can you step into your confidence?

• Remind yourself, “I have the strength for this. I am whole. I am hopeful. I am ready.”

• Find a deep cycle of breath. Breathe in and out around the words as you recite them internally.

• Take the next five minutes to envision the end result of your goal. Where do you see yourself succeeding?

• Sometimes, writing down what you see during this time helps to affirm it.

A clear intention and a peaceful moment can go miles. You can do this.

Meagan Roppo has been a student of meditation and yoga, as well as a 60-hour trained advocate for women, for the past four years. She has dedicated her time and passion to women’s crisis shelters, feminist studies, and writing on women’s issues. By founding She Enlightened in 2014, Meagan encourages and empowers girls & women to bring forth the unique gifts, voices, and light shining inside each of them. Meagan currently works as Chief Operating Officer of Young Professional Women in Energy, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that works to employ more women in the energy industry. http://www.sheenlightened.com

Mornings have always been fraught for me. I have distinct memories of my dad being my “alarm clock,” clambering into my sister’s and my room, pajama-clad, and flipping the lights on and off repeatedly while making siren noises. All in the name of timeliness.

Although my mother’s approach, the shoulder-tap-say-name-sternly, was certainly gentler, neither really charmed me to mornings.

So I went off into the wide world with a disdain for mornings. But recently I’ve been waking up, without an alarm, almost daily. And it’s not just that I’m awake in time for work, but with ample time; time that is free and unscheduled.

I wake up and sit with a cup of coffee and The Times. I meditate. I listen to Freakconomics and apply eyeliner.

I’m starting to realize mornings don’t have to include sirens and dashing out the door after all.

Ashley Collom is a Texan 20-something who now resides in NYC. She works in book publishing, lives with her pet tortoise Maxwell House, and has a soft spot for craft beers and pint-sized ice cream. You can follow her on Twitter @ashohley and contact her for freelance writing assistance at http://ashleyscollom.wix.com/freelance.

I love a lot of things about living here in Germany, but one thing I’ve never learned to love is the winter weather. In order to beat the winter blues, I try to get as much Vitamin D and light as possible, but most importantly, I stay active.

Because I have two little ones and work full time, getting active involves working out with the entire family. Fortunately, we’ve come up with quite a few fun ways to get as much exercise as possible during these cold, wet months.

1. Bouldering and climbing in indoor gyms. This has been a long-time passion of mine, but my kids enjoy it as well—even my two-year-old. My five-year-old goes hard at climbing for an hour. Plus, with all the squishy mats meant to catch falls, we mess around doing gymnastic tricks and playing tag until we’re all good and tired.
2. Indoor swimming. If you have an indoor pool nearby, it’s the perfect thing to do on a cold day. Pack some goggles and snacks to fill up an afternoon with your kids in a heated pool.
3. Play in the snow. When the snow does come and stick, we take full advantage and go sledding, build forts, create funny snow creatures and run around the yard having snowball fights.
4. Dance parties. Since it is dark by the time I’m home with the kids on winter work nights, we have fun lighting candles and turning on upbeat music. We dance all around the living room in the dark. For extra special dance nights try using glow sticks.
5. Take a stroll. Even on wet, dark afternoons, I’ll bundle the kids up and we’ll take a stroll through town to pick up fresh veggies or bread for dinner, and then make a stop at the park to feed the ducks. The fresh air and short walk make us all feel happier.

Mandy Byron is a budget analyst, climber, DIY addict, and world traveler who was born in Germany and moved every three years thereafter with her three sisters. She blogs weekly at www.wethreemothers.blogspot.com.  After getting her MPA and working as an environmental consultant, Mandy decided to pursue her passion for traveling and started a federal career in Bavaria, Germany. A few years later and a few moves later, she and her husband, Frank, have returned to the Bavarian countryside with their children, Cooper and Lily.

Imagery provided by Mandy Byron

Because I teach a class about communication technology and also research it for a living, I have an excuse to be connected. But my research also makes me aware of how important it is to step away from my smartphone and reconnect with those around me. In fact, there’s a lot of research on the topics of “absent presence” and “perpetual contact” that tells us being too connected can actually have a negative effect on our interpersonal relationships.

I was recently reminded of this while on a date night at a new Indian restaurant with my fiancé Joe. We were sitting at the table, already raving to each other about the service (they gave us pakoras on a platter the second we walked in), and Joe pulled out his phone to tag us and make a comment on social media. The server approached right as he was doing so and teased Joe for being on his phone instead of talking to me. As Joe sheepishly put his phone away, I was glad that I had not scratched my initial itch to reach for my own phone when he did.

We survived the meal phone free, and both declared it one of the best dinners out together we have ever had.

I’ve started to remind myself that I can share my memories of the atmosphere, food, and company of my fiancé with others at a later time. I don’t need an immediate announcement to Facebook or a picture on Instagram to document my good time.

Being well connected is important for your business, but, on a personal level, don’t forget to power down for some real connection time.

Natalie Pennington is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, where she will graduate with a PhD in Communication Studies in May. She studies computer-mediated and interpersonal communication, with a particular interest in social media use. You can read more about her research on her website nataliepennington.com and hear more about her thoughts on technology on Twitter and Instagram: @natpenn.

Time is energy.

Often when I tell others that I don’t have time for something, what I really mean is that I don’t have the energy. Although it seems that an extra five hours in the day would solve all my troubles, it honestly wouldn’t. I would still use those extra hours expending energy on petty tasks that don’t reap the same mental rewards as spending time with a good friend.

I tend to invest a tremendous amount of time in the details. Details I know I could forfeit and no one would ever know but me. Cue the montage of nights spent whipping up last-minute baked goods for the next day’s birthday party… and spending more time perfecting the icing and packaging than it should ever take anyone.

It would be better if I could make my to-do lists in order of importance, putting family and friends at the top of that list. Is it really critical to the upcoming week that I have the mats of my car vacuumed? No, it is not.

Next time you’re considering canceling that night out with girlfriends, why not skip spinning class and save the energy for those who make it all worth it?

Haylee Smoot is a social worker currently pursuing an MSW at the University of Kentucky. She is a Kentucky Proud foodie and passionate about her heritage, her pug Dodi, and helping others. 

My knife slides through the velvety flesh of an avocado, while the aroma of freshly ground coffee wanders out a window and steam rises silently from an old tin cup. The morning sun illuminates the intricacies in leaves bigger than my head, and I wonder at how the chorus of birds have convinced me that 5 a.m. is the perfect time to wake up. Every morning now seems to begin the same: roll out of bed, rest bare feet on smooth wood, and repeat to myself, “the jungle always wins.”

With that mantra in mind, I can take in the beauty and start to shrug off the little things, even the fist-sized spider that somehow found its way to the wrong side of my bug net. I can put the beans on to warm, fluff up last night’s rice, look out the window, warm cup in-hand, and forget about my phone since its battery is drained and paradise doesn’t seem to favor tech. I’ll lean forward into a deep bend and prep my body for the trek to find the old logger’s pony, the one with the long shaggy mane. I’ll saddle up like I used to in Kentucky, but this time I’ll be on my daily commute.

Somehow, it will all feel ordinary.

The thing about extraordinary experiences, I’ll realize, is that they can’t stay that way.

Soon, the passion flowers and toucans will feel like a neighbor’s dog, the pony’s slow trot like the rhythm of traffic on my old morning commute. As amusing as it is to imagine, it’s the best way to relay this experience to folks back home.

I’ll take a deep breath, throw on a raincoat, and thank God for the chance to change the commonplace, if only for a moment.

Chelsey Perron believes in travel, as it forces people to change their ordinary. She began her travel journeys in college and has now lived and traveled in 12 countries. Her resume is quite colorful, including everything from “cupcake decorator” to “marketing manager,” with plenty of outdoor adventures to fill in the gaps.  This post was written as an imaginative response to receiving a job offer at an off-the-grid community in Costa Rica. Since being offered that job, Chelsey has changed her plans and taken a position as a travel agent in another Costa Rican city. In this new role, she is “excited to practice gratitude for the simple things and continue to experience the incredible scenery and culture of Costa Rica.” http://www.girlenroute.com/