If I could live somewhere else besides LA or NY, I’d move to Chicago. If you’ve never been to this city, I truly think that it’s a city perfect for young people to move to. It’s hip, quaint, and happy! LA and NY feel so aggressive sometimes but Chicago remains consistent and authentic, in my opinion.

I appeared on The Jam WCIU this morning to talk summer swimwear with Lands’ End! There are a ton of models in Chicago so I usually end up swapping models out every time I’m in town so that I get to meet different people, and the three in this shoot were so nice and older than my models usually are. Lands’ End is a brand that suits working millennials and parents, so putting ladies who would wear this clothing off of a TV set makes sense to me. Chicago is sweltering hot right now, luckily my segment aired at 6:50 AM so I got to take these pictures in front of the bean right before the sun came out…wearing a look by Lands’ End and APL sneakers! Kind of felt like a hip Chicago mom.

I never liked my body in swimwear and I still don’t: I’ll probably never start liking my stomach, it’s just that one part of my body that I always cringe at when I look in the mirror or even when I’m at the gym! If I had been asked to show off a swimwear look on camera, I would’ve totally said no. Now that I’m following #FearlessFridays every week, I’m a bit more open to doing something that makes me uncomfortable…but wearing swimwear on TV might be something I’d try out next year. I’m not perfect and I don’t expect anyone or myself to be.  I try and find swimwear that makes me feel confident, which usually ends up being something high-waisted. As much as I’d love to squeeze into a Triangl two-piece, I won’t leave any beach day feeling happy with myself and I don’t like to put myself through that.

What you feel like on the inside is what shows on the outside: don’t waste your timing wearing clothing that doesn’t show your confident self off!