Year 36
It’s 2025 and this year I turned 36. Birthdays aren’t “just another day” for me. I get really reflective, I set intentions, and do an audit. Do I like who I am? Who I’m becoming? Am I proud of myself? Do I surround myself with people who add value? Where can I improve?
As part of this process I went through all the ways I spend my time. Something that feels good to me personally is looking at the things I love doing and finding ways to do more of them instead of focusing on what I don’t like doing. There are some affiliate links in here, just to be fully transparent. ☺️
My thought is: if I keep doing these thirty-six things below I will feel a sense of energy, peace, and satisfaction… three things I am really craving at this stage of life. Some of these are a little redundant but I find they have different unlocks for me.
Ok, let’s dive in!
Thirty-six things I’m going to do more of (or maybe the same amounts of):
Sauna: I’ll take almost any format. We have this we recently invested in after I ditched the sauna sack (I didn’t dislike it btw, I just prefer to sit). As someone who doesn’t sweat easily, I love the intentionally quiet time I get and the health benefits - especially the immediate dopamine hit.
Yoga: Apparently I’m starting off year 36 with ways to sweat, idk what that says about me but this year I get to do a bit more movement at my preferred spot, Power Life Yoga.
Kevin’s meals: In the name of creating peace and energy in my life, being prepared for meals during the day is really important for me and something I’ve always been pretty bad at. From soups to the quick stovetop meals, I love the variety Kevin’s has. FWIW, I always find it the cheapest at Target.
Purging: If you read my Next Thirty Days Substack there have been a few projects that pertain to purging. I love being and living in an environment that isn’t full of stuff. I love having a sense of order and spots where things live and empty counters. It is wildly challenging with kids but I will continue forging ahead!
Girl time: Nothing beats it. Time with girlfriends fills the cup in a big, big way. It’s more challenging than ever to get time on the calendar with kid schedules and work travel & commitments, but it is important to me so I get to find ways to make it work!
Dancing: At home, at the gym, at the parks — I love dancing! It makes me feel alive. This is something I get to seek out a bit more intentionally in year 36. Don’t be surprised if you see an invite from me to try a class or if I randomly ask if I can dance with you.
Traveling: From Christmas in Colorado to NOLA for NYE to Vegas & NYC for work events to start off the year, I’m feeling jazzed about the travel ahead, new foods I get to try, people I get to be around, customers I get to meet and that simple suitcase life.
Weight lifting: I have been working with my trainer for about a year and a half and I leave every session feeling so strong and capable. My husband just did HYROX so I’m debating doing it with him in NYC next summer! Stay tuned.
Drinking smoothies: I’ve been absolutely loving Ka’chava thanks to my friends’ intro and it’s a go-to a few times a week. Easy, delicious, filling, nutritious.
Manicures: It’s petty, I know! I see my girl Jeni every 2 to 3 weeks and it brings me so much joy. Also, when I’m stressed I bite at my nails and this pretty much stops me from the terrible behavior.
Caring for my plants: The success I have with me and our plants is at an all-time high and I will continue helping my little plant buddies thrive.
Dr Amy: Seeing Amy at Optimum Wellness has been nothing short of life changing. After years and years of consistent tummy troubles, they are completely gone. I will now do whatever she tells me and see her every six or so weeks to do nutrition response testing.
Tight Club: Similar to Dr Amy, I am a huge fan of Tight Club, which does super focused fascia work. This work has been incredibly helpful, it’s almost as satisfying as therapy. When I’m not at Tight Club I’m using a dry brush for all the benefits!
Sharing day to day life: I love connecting on social. I just do. And here on the blog. I want to tap back in a little more without overdoing it.
Walking: weighted, indoor walking pad, at the gym with a massive incline, I love walking! Sometimes I wonder if it will turn into a desire to run (has to if I do HYROX lol), but right now I love getting my steps in.
Lighting candles: I’m probably more fixated to this one because it’s frasier fir season, but dang if I don’t get a quick hit of dopamine when I walk into a beautifully scented space.
Being offline: This is currently one of my Next Thirty Day undertakings. I have always prided myself on “being available” and deep down, I hate it. I love being in flow, writing, brainstorming, connecting dots, working on strategic parts of the business that need my brain. I’ve turned off so many notifications, put my phone further away, turned Slack off more often… and not only does my business benefit from it, my entire life does. More please.
Time with family: Family always wins. It almost doesn’t deserve a spot here because it’s just who I am and what I / we do. However, just looking at Year 36’s travel plans, I get to be really mindful about where I show up for my fambam.
Toddy’s: It’s not the season for my iced Toddy’s but when spring hits I will be making these so often and yes of course I’ll share one with you!
Hair oil and all things Crown Affair: I don’t know if I need to say any more on this one, they nail every product they put out.
Buying socks: I’m a sock girl through and through and only continue to want more. Marne has a wildly amazing mix of options if you wanna support a rad lady-owned biz in the 515.
Instantly checking my sleep score every morning: Maybe it’s unhealthy to be so obsessed with this number but it’s the first thing I do every morning and it feels like a mini victory.
Piano: As part of my Next Thirty Days journey, I got a piano. I love playing piano and it’s so easy to pick back up. I want to do like 1% more playing — it’s still not a huge part of my life given other priorities but I love doing things where it shuts off my monkey mind.
Hydrating: I’m still obsessed with my Owala tyvm and dumping different hydrating powders like Liquid IV into it to stay hydrated. Every day I try to get 2-3 of fills on the water bottle! We also decided last year to get a water filter and I’m so
Sending random texts: When I think of people or have a sense of appreciation for them, I just text them! It’s so fun. It sometimes turns into “let’s get coffee” convos that I can’t currently commit to as often as I’d like but I like to let people know I think they’re wonderful even if I completely ghost on the response (just keeping it real).
Sleep: Being a rested girly allows me to show up the absolute best in all facets of my life. I will always aim for 7.5-8.5 hours
Film photos: I almost always have a disposable camera on me and I am actually really good at getting them developed and shared. I know! It shocks all of my friends too. I love DSM Film Lab btw for printing. dsm
Writing: I’m 36 now, should I revive the Friday Fives? My gut says yes, my calendar says… lol
Magnesium bev: I absolutely love this magnesium citrate powder. It’s the perfect way to wrap the day and the beautiful blue is mesmerizing.
Creating: This gives nod to my offline > online vibe for year 36. I am a creator. I am super creative. Getting stuck in administrative work and tons of meetings gives me a trapped feeling that’s hard to describe. From net new ideas to filming content… your girl is better when she’s building & creating.
Hiring my cleaner: This has been such a game changer for everything we have going on and I couldn’t imagine life without Luisa’s care.
Reading fiction: I don’t have wild aspirations here, just a few fiction books a year, probably will all be Emily Henry just to be clear. But dang every time I put down a fiction book I’m so glad I picked it up and completed it.
Hosting family movie nights: We are at such a fun age with the kids, they love movies. And I love pizza and popcorn and cuddling and fireplaces and well, that’s just a really lovely setup for movies right?
Solo, quiet mornings: Squeezing in even 15 minutes of solo coffee drinking, even if I’m looking at a screen does so much for my mental health. Even better if I can get 15-30 minutes of Abraham Hicks on and playing from YouTube — I’m still all about that morning alignment.
Simple beauty routines: I could not be happier that Beautycounter (now COUNTER) lives on, even if it’s a new brand. The lotions, the serums… nothing competes. I tried it when they were turning things around. I exclusively use them for skincare and exclusively use Jones Road for makeup. These are my ride or dies.
Buying every style of the Colette pant in petite: these are just the most flattering, lovely pants I own. And I want/need them to stay in style please.
We’re here. We’re committed. Can’t wait to share an update in the next six months to see if these are still serving me.