The Importance of Honesty in Mental Health Don’t tell me you’re okay when you’re not.  Don’t paint on the fake smile that hurts the crevices of your mouth when you feel like you can barely hold it together. Don’t nod and say you agree when you don’t.  Don’t try to point out the glitter when really, your deep-rooted wounds are bleeding. Don’t feel like you have to tell me you’re okay when you’re not. So many times, society demands us to put on a mask, to hide the dark truths of ourselves and of humanity. We smile for the camera. We put the rosy update on social media. We paint on th ..read more

One day, she looked in the mirror and realized she didn’t recognize herself.  The hair, the lipstick, the eyes were different, yes. But it was deeper than that. For when she looked in the mirror, she saw the beyond, saw the girl she used to be simultaneously with who she was and who she wanted to be–and realized how far she’d come, how much she’d changed, and how far she had yet to go. The unfurling of herself, the unraveling from their expectations and their predispositions and her own conformity had been long and winding. She hadn’t noticed the almost imperceptible changes–the reject ..read more

Thanks Plum Deluxe Tea for my free tea! Sponsored (I did receive the tea for free, but I don’t get any money or anything for this post <3) Since January, I’ve been on a deep self-care journey…eating healthier, trying to find more peace, and trying to take better care of myself all week long. One of the habits I’ve added is a hot tea in the evening along with extra time to read, one of my favorite pastimes. It’s been really fun, too, playing with different flavors and kinds of tea, so when Plum Deluxe reached out, I was so excited! Plum Deluxe Loose Tea A few weeks ago, Plum Deluxe reach ..read more

To all the girls whose worth was reduced to a number on a scale by others, by yourself…I want to say, rise above that twisted belief.  You deserve to feel beautiful, worthy, unstoppable. You deserve to know you are a damn Queen. You deserve to feel at home in your body, to eat the cookie without a guilt fest, to savor every tiny part of life just as you are. You deserve to rest when you’re tired, to step off the treadmill, to stop hiding from the clothes you don’t think you can pull off.  You are not a number on a scale. You are not a tag on your clothes. You are not the lumps and ..read more

Last week, I did something I never do at Starbucks: I ordered a different drink than my plain black coffee or my iced vanilla coffee. I’d seen a recipe on TikTok for a customized Iced Shaken Espresso and decided to give it a try. And you know what?? It’s now my FAVORITE drink. Like seriously, so good (Order an iced shaken espresso, no sweetener, Oat Milk, one pump of white mocha syrup, and cinnamon on top. That's it!) I’ve been saying a lot in this space that mixing up your life is so underrated when it comes to making big changes, to finding your passion. So often, we get stuck in routines ..read more

The Summer Song Excerpt They always say you can’t go home again, but let me add to that advice. If you do return home to live with your stoic, lawyer father and meddling mother, make sure you’re not thirty with a bankrupt business and a failed romance. These were the TED Talk-like thoughts running through my mind as I hunched over boxes in the mildewy basement of Tino’s Italian restaurant, thankful there wasn’t a mirror for me to peruse the assuredly disastrous state of my hair. I rolled my eyes at my senseless inner monologue as the wind howled outside, threatening to send the ancient boardw ..read more

We hear so many things about how if you keep dreaming, good things happen–and I really do believe that. However, sometimes you find yourself in a season of life where you’re just stuck. Where it feels like the dream is so far away. Where you just keep getting rejected. That was the inspiration for my book “The Summer Song.” Tillie Ashby isn’t your typical stars-in-her-eyes romance character at the beginning. She’s really struggling–with a failed business, a failed financial situation, a failed relationship, and a lost best friend. When she moves back to her hometown of Ocean City, Maryland ..read more

​To the little girl still inside so many of us who was taught she had to be small, To be the quiet one, The kind one, The never ruffle feathers one.   To the little girl who was taught she shouldn’t chase butterflies Or stare at the stars too long because Life was on the ground.   To the little girl who was taught The worst thing of all was to not fit in, To not belong, To not be seen as sweet.   To the little girl who quickly became afraid of being Too bossy, Too mean, Too rude, Too loud, Too boisterous, Too different, Too weird, Too much.   To that little girl that sits ..read more

What if I make the wrong choice? It’s a paralyzing question so many have faced in our lives.  We ask it when we’re considering new jobs, new houses, new states. The question plagues us when we’re deciding on life partners, on what’s best for our kids, on which puppy to pick. We ask it when deciding what outfit to wear to the Eras Tour, when thinking about what haircut to get, and all sorts of other smaller decisions. The truth is, most of us are paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong choice. But I think if you switch your perspective just a hair, you realize an earth-shattering real ..read more

You can do it all. Variants of this inspirational quote adorn throw pillows, Instagram graphics, and T-shirts. At first glance, the sentiment is admirable and even motivational. As a big dreamer, I think it’s healthy to remove mental blocks and limitations. I hope everyone can find the courage to strive for their wildest dreams. Nonetheless, I also think if we do a deep dive, this sentiment can be dangerous to your overall dreams and fulfillment. I do believe you can do it all…but you shouldn’t. The problem with this quote is that without us realizing, it seeps into our daily lives and poi ..read more