modern mentorship: getting you across campus (and beyond) one pep talk at a time
Asking for what I want is scary for me. I’m afraid of imposing on someone. I’m afraid of getting rejected, but at the end of the day, if I don’t ask the answer is always no.
Check out the video for more!
https://youtu.be/d9BJqxtpdSw
In one of my grad school classes last week, we learned about dopamine in the adolescent brain. It was so enlightening that I wanted to share! Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate emotional responses. Its production is naturally lower in adolescents which may lead to impulsivity, feeling of bored, being overall blah, and makes kids more susceptible to stress. Check out today’s video for more on dopamine and why it’s important! I wish I had known about this when I was a teen!
https://youtu.be/H98p3kJxb24
Today, I’m sharing what an awesome yoga teacher told my class that totally changed the way I looked at emotional stress. Sometimes we judge our feelings (like we SHOULD be something or SHOULDN’T feel a certain way) when it’s possible to have many feelings at once. Check out today’s video to hear what changed my perspective!
https://youtu.be/BGT_nQY04hk
Originally published on Spire & Co
Last week, I wore my new zenned OUT tee when a stranger told me she loved the shirt, but she was the least zen person ever. “Please, I’m my own kind of zen,” I replied.
Zen doesn’t have to be enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree or serenity in every moment.
My zen looks like dance parties. It’s talking with friends, spending time with my family, and being of service. It’s traveling, eating, and trying new things. Sometimes my zen involves tears. It’s meditative and self-explorative. It’s being energetic and calm. My zen is when I have enough self-love to not judge all the different situations and emotions that come up in my life.
So many girls have told me about having their feelings hurt on other people’s finstas (fake instagram). Here are some thoughts on finstas, sub-instagramming, and being mean online.
https://youtu.be/w9hUpf156T4
Everyday my students tell me how stressed out they are and I totally get it. We have so much going on that it can be hard to do everything. The amount of questions I get about finding balance are on an all time high, but what interests me is my student’s shift into anxiety and its relationship to worthiness, deserving, and feeling good enough. Stress and anxiety are all things that EVERYONE faces, but what helps? My secret:
Mentorship and meditation.
These two things together helped me realize that I’m enough as I am. I don’t need anything on the outside (likes on Insta, cool friends, a hot boyfriend) to feel like I’m worthy on the inside. Allowing myself to be mentored has opened me up to hearing the, “Me Too,” or knowing that everything I’m going through is normal and human. It’s helped me get to know myself. Girls come to me all the time feeling like they need to be fixed. You’re not broken. There’s nothing wrong with you. Your fears are normal.
The second secret is meditation. You can’t get to know yourself if you’re not able to sit with yourself. Meditation is recharging. It’s a way to find peace in chaos, but you need to work it in order for it to work for you. Girls feel like it’s hard to meditate, but that’s a myth. Want to build a meditation practice? Below is my meditation playlist on Spotify (which all my students ask me about). Some songs are upbeat for energy. Some are softer to calm you down. Pick a song and focus on your breath for the entirety. Everyday is different so sometimes it will be easy to sit; somedays it’ll be hard. Thoughts start to drift? Totally okay! Come back to focusing on your breath. Try to meditate once a day for 21 days. You’ll be surprised how much you crave your meditation time once it becomes part of your routine.
My best friend moved from NYC to Los Angeles at the end of June. This became a total #MeToo Moment when in a Mentoring Session one of my students told me her best friend was moving too. While it can be sad you won’t see your BFF as often, there are a lot of things to look forward to when a friend moves. Check out today’s video to see what I mean!
https://youtu.be/HP5gFadVyyU
Many of my students have come to me with summer body stress and I’ve been mentoring girls towards creating HAPPY habits. Happiness is a choice and defaulting to self-love and acceptance takes practice, especially when it comes to loving what you look like. You were given your body to share your gifts; not as a vehicle to beat yourself up. Whether you’re aware of it or not, we’ve all created body habits that we do without even being mindful if they’re helping us or holding us back. In order to feel positive about your looks, you’ve got to look at the patterns you’ve formed that’s why we’re focusing on creating happy habits. Click here for more.
Oh the Inner Mean Girl… It’s that little voice that tells you you’re not good enough for something; can’t do something; not pretty enough; smart enough. You get it. It’s super judge-y and totally holds us back from being the best version of ourselves. We ALL have it, but what do we do about it? Especially on days where it’s SUPER loud. Check out the video because I’ve got your back.
https://youtu.be/E9IErzycJuY
Making decisions can be stressful. I know that I’ve dragged out what to do in a situation because deciding felt really hard. What I realized is that making decisions comes from having faith in yourself and today I’m giving my tips I use for making a decision even if it feels tough!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzZjNjHnwFM