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I’ve never been a fan of making resolutions on the first day of every new year. Frankly, the idea of a resolution gives me anxiety. If  I need a resolution doesn’t that mean I’m doing something wrong or could be doing something better?

Whenever I walk into the gym on January 1st or 2nd it’s like all of America has shown up to sign up for a membership, but most people end up signing up and then never going again. Or people decide to follow the keto or paleo diet for one week until the idea of living without bread makes them sick and then they give up. Why do you need a resolution just because everyone else has one?

I stopped making resolutions last year. My decision stemmed from realizing I didn’t need to follow this silly trend and the anxiety I have about a new year and what would come doesn’t go away by making a resolution. I’m a firm believer in long-term goals and short-term goals: my end goal is to be like ELLEN, my short-term goals stem from planning the first Be Fearless Summit to speaking at SXSW in March the week before the summit, to meeting a cool guy I can travel the world with…I know those goals don’t happen overnight and none of them revolve around me needing to change something in my life. That’s why I’m content with my goals and even more content with not making a resolution.

If you’re super adamant about making one, make sure you’re making a resolution for the right reasons. I hate seeing young people decide to follow fad diets, change their hair color or “lose weight” just because people in the media are doing that. If you want to change ANYTHING about your beautiful self or your life, make the change for YOU. Perhaps you might even find better success adding new goals into your life instead of a resolution. Getting carried away in the moment is unfortunately quite easy and life speeds by unless you really do have your purpose figured out (which most people don’t find until later in life). Take a trip somewhere new. Go alone! Rent a car and drive down Route 99. Eat a new food. These are all solid “resolutions” that don’t require an entire lifestyle change to make yourself happy.

And if you find yourself getting anxious about not having any goals or a resolution, focus your energy on what you do know: you’re here on this planet for a reason. You don’t know your reason yet but you won’t find that reason until you get out of your comfort zone and learn about yourself. The first step isn’t the end goal, the first step is a step in the right direction towards the path you want to end up on.

XO,

Alexa

When I landed the Radio Disney show I was adamant about getting camera time with my guests. As awesome as radio is it’s not always the easiest for people to tune in. The first episode of 5 Things with Alexa aired with Mackenzie Ziegler (Dance Moms queen bee) last week- she talked with me after our interview about being fearless, getting out of her comfort zone and why you should never put anyone down. I loved Kenzie’s advice for dealing with bullying, just because she’s in the public eye doesn’t mean she’s not a normal kid who deals with online hate and hate from people who are her age!

The next 5 Things video will be with Lindsay Stirling! Stay tuned for more. #fearlesseveryday

When I was in NYC for the Penn Conference for Women I met Zaniya Lewis: she’s the founder of the Yes She Can Campaign, an incredible nonprofit that encourages and empowers young girls across the country to get out of their comfort zone and pursue their wildest dreams. Her nonprofit gives girls scholarships to get into their dream colleges, which is so great because we know how important the topic of college is to discuss. Many powerful young females and males don’t have the finacial ability or resources to get into the colleges they want to go to, so they end up at community colleges or tech colleges just because they can’t afford their dream school. There’s nothing against community college (I think community college is actually the way to go) but shouldn’t ever person have the ability to attend the school they want to attend, without having the worry about the financial burden that college brings? Zaniya and I chat about her project and college on tonights episode!

Here’s where to find Radio Disney:

Listen on the Radio Disney app on your phone/iPad/Kindle

SiriusXM

Listen on iHeartRadio on their website

This morning I appeared on KTLA to talk holiday style with 5 beautiful models. I love appearing on KTLA because it’s always such a fun time with the team and the models I get to work with. If you haven’t seen the segment watch it below, and buy the looks below as well!

I’m wearing an outfit that was not discussed on-air, my stylist put me in this adorable dress and I fell in love!

The best winter accessories:

Heat Holders

Heat Holders is currently celebrating 10 years of making the warmest thermal socks in the world. Their unique patented processes allow them to make these one-of-a-kind socks which have made hundreds of thousands of customers happy and warm over the last decade. If you look through some of my older segments you’ll see that I have been working with Heat Holders for so long and have always loved their seriously comfy and impeccably made accessories like hats and gloves. Everything from their line keeps me so warm during the winter months when I’m in Connecticut.

Gift giving: Glasses in Style 

ZENNI

Zenni makes it easy to create your perfect pair of glasses. Whether you need progressives,  sunglasses or want blue light blocking lenses Zenni has it all. Go for bold or barely there frames to compliment all your looks. Many of the items on the segment are actually under $10, which is kind of crazy for a pair of glasses. I spend so much money every month on contacts and Zenni truly inspires me to go all natural!

Models wore these styles:

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/womens-acetate-cat-eye-eyeglass-frames-/44344?skuId=4434412

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/womens-fullrim-acetate-plastic-cat-eye-eyeglass-frames-/44126?skuId=4412623

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/round-eyeglass-frames-/78101?skuId=7810124

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/off-the-grid-eyeglasses-/44333?skuId=4433318

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/womens-memory-titanium-square-eyeglass-frames-/1709?skuId=170924

Shoes for him, her & YOU!

KIZIK

KIZIK shoes are hands-free shoes with no laces that pop on, available at Nordstrom and on their website. The best part about KIZIK is the styles for men & women are equally as cute- anything they offer would be fantastic for a gift for someone in your family or for yourself. It’s the holidays- treat yo self!

Models wore these styles:

https://kizik.com/collections/women/products/miami-white

https://kizik.com/collections/women/products/miami-green-suede

https://kizik.com/collections/women/products/paris-black-suede

THE DRESS THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

DAVID’S BRIDAL

You probably wouldn’t think of buying a holiday party dress from David’s Bridal, but think again. DB is a fantastic and reliable retailer that has been around for so long and now overs a ton of dresses in a range of sizes. If you’re like me and you eat way too many holiday cookies at every party (I’m newly obsessed with compost cookies, despite their unappealing name) you don’t have to fear: David’s Bridal has a dress that will make you feel confident even if you’re taking a break from the gym during the holidays!

Models wore these styles:

https://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_crepe-off-the-shoulder-short-sheath-dress-9853chs6

https://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_glitter-print-cap-sleeve-mini-dress-49084

 FOR YOUR MOM + YOU

TALBOT’S

I know what you might be thinking: why would I buy my mom something from Talbot’s instead of Amazon? Girlfran, think again. Talbot’s is actually so cool that my stylist put me in a sweater from Talbot’s the other day without realizing I’m sponsored by them for this segment: she’s a fan of the brand too! I especially love their cashmere pullovers during the holidays. They’re a great investment and insanely comfortable!

FOR THE WATCH-A-HOLIC

CITIZEN WATCHES

I’ve been putting so many hours into planning the Be Fearless Summit that I’m literally avoiding going out at ALL during the week (#more single than EVERRR) because I get so tired, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about buying gifts for all of the guys in my life. Watches are the best because they’re not totally out of budget (many are under $300, and if you’re buying one for someone special in you’re life than that’s a solid deal) and CITIZEN is my go-to watch brand. They flew me to Orlando to preview their new collection with Disney, and every since I got to see their incredible collections I’ve become a major fan of the brand!

For those of you who don’t have time this week to listen to episode 54 of This is Life Unfiltered, I wanted to give you my networking tips right here on Life Unfiltered. Networking is a crucial part of becoming successful in any industry and it’s the topic of this weeks episode. I went to dinner with one of my good friends Danielle a few weeks ago and her and I both agreed that networking is pointless if you’re going to events that you aren’t getting any value out of. Why force yourself to go out to an event just because of the possibility you might meet one solid connection, when most of the time you have no clue who will be there?

But then again, don’t you miss all the shots you don’t take?

There is a proper technique to networking and it starts with your mindset. If you walk into a bar trying to meet a cute guy or girl and you don’t smile, do you think someone is going to feel comfortable enough to approach you? Of course not. The same goes for networking. If you evaluate your priorities and get over the totally normal fear of rejection then you’ll find yourself going out to every event ready to land the job or the date.

1. Get business cards!!!!!

I can’t preach enough how important business cards are even if you’re not an entrepreneur.  Think about business cards like this: if you’re in an elevator with Mark Cuban one day, would you rather be the 99% of people who won’t know what to say to him OR would you rather be the 1% who knows your elevator pitch and has a dope business card to give to him right from the bat?

Even if you haven’t found your purpose or your career path, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a business card with your name and phone number on it.

2. Pick and choose wisely

Even when I go out to events I feel like I have FOMO about not going to a different event. There’s really no easy way to pick and choose where/ what events you go to. The older I get the more lack of interest I have in attending events that I’m invited to. I’d rather curl up with my girls and watch Netflix with chocolate than go to an event for the slim possibility I might make one solid connection. Here’s what I’ve started doing: listening to my gut. Sounds silly right? Let your intuition lead you to taking the right opportunities and leaving the rest behind. The worst thing to do is go to an event and get stuck wandering around all night wondering why you went out in the first place. If something doesn’t fit your vibe, skip it!

3. Set a networking goal

When you decide to go to an event, what’s your main priority? If you set a goal then you’ll know the reason you’re there along with solid intentions. If you can tell yourself you want to start by simple saying “hi” to one new person every time you go out, by a few months you’ll be the first person saying hello when you walk through the door!

4. Have a sidekick 

I’ve realized that going out to events with a +1 always makes networking much easier. However make sure the person you’re going out with is in the same boat as you: courageous and eager to meet new people. Have a plan of attack before you walk in to the event so you know who is going to approach who. If you go out a few times with your trusty sidekick and don’t find them networking as well as you want them to, then find a new person or get used to going out alone! Networking is certainly easier when you aren’t going about it alone.

5. Have fun with it

More often than not I’ll pick my 1 day a month to go out and the event won’t always leave me feeling super confident with my networking abilities but I walked away with fun pictures, a full stomach and some new knowledge. Become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I’ve spent the entire last week finishing the final logo for the Be Fearless Summit with one of our sponsors, 99 Designs and today the logo has finally been completed! I think it truly represents what this conference is about: confidence, a lil bit of attitude and a day filled with fun, food and education- but the kind of education we all need! Life and career tips!

The Be Fearless Summit is coming to LeBow Business School at Drexel University on March 15th, 2019 from 10 AM – 4 PM. For more information about the summit head to the official website and follow along for speaker & sponsor updates at @fearlessummit. 

Summit tickets are going on pre-sale to the college students in January and we will open to the public depending on the amount of tickets left following the initial pre-sale. Tickets are free, but registration is required.

 I’m putting my heart and soul daily into making this summit the most rocking and educational day every student in PA has every had, and I hope you love what we put together just as much as I do.

Stay fearless!

Wearing Banana Republic & Topshop x Nordstrom faux leather jacket

I’ve come to realize the power of the word no vs. yes over the past 6 months. I’d like to tell you that the rejection gets easier but it doesn’t get easier- you just get tougher. Upon opening the mailbox today I came across a check from the first sponsor of the Be Fearless Summit,  and I realized how much people rely on the word yes to determine their happiness. For 9 months I thought about this conference, pitched it, got rejected, continued to pitch it with no solid concept behind it (besides just wanting to create a conference for college campuses) until I got 1 yes. I was at the PA Conference for Women speaking a few months ago when I was walking around and came across a Drexel University booth: I walked right up, asked to speak to the head of the college and followed-up with sending her the one-sheet to the conference and bam- look where the first Be Fearless Summit is being hosted.

The reason I talk so openly about rejection is because I know not all of you are trying to become entrepreneurs but are trying to pursue career paths that might be harder to get in the door with. Opening the mailbox to a check today made all of the previous no’s I received from colleges made months of pitching this summit worth the time and effort. Even when you’ve proven yourself you STILL need to continue to push the envelope and prove yourself in new ways. I don’t consider success settling, do you?

If you get caught up in the end goal you’re losing sight of the journey, and the journey is when you’re learning everything you need to know to get you to your end goal.

Listen to episode 53 with Nicolette Mason below to hear more about rejection & how we both battled tremendous rejection to get to where we are now.

I love recording episodes of Fearless Everyday for Radio Disney because I get to meet so many unique and fun guests- some being older and some being younger. I had Nicolette Mason on the show last week and this week I’m releasing the unfiltered episode of her interview. She takes us through her entire life journey from the beginning to where she is now. Her story is one of resilience, willpower and determination to find success which is what she’s most certainly done.

Listen to episode 53 on iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify! #livelifeunfiltered