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I’m wearing APL sneakers, Lands’ End jeans, and a J.Crew top with Ceri Hoover sunglasses

10 years ago, I would’ve thought that an expensive hotel room or a nice outfit was like the epitome of a nice life. As a kid with an extremely frugal mom, I grew up with thrift stores and my sisters’ clothing. Because of my pretty normal upbringing, I’m lucky to have moments where I step back and think wow, I really made this life for myself. Some moments I pay for, and others I get for free. Like this weekend in Washington D.C., I stayed at The Mandarin Oriental and had a phenomenal time. At the beginning of my journey, I was captivated by these experiences. I probably let them consume me, because what 16-year-old wouldn’t freak out over fashion week or a nice hotel room!? Now, it’s all a part of my life and I don’t care as much. That doesn’t mean I don’t totally freak out when I stay or do something REALLY cool.

I arrived in Washington and went straight to grab a salad and go to my room at the Mandarin Oriental. They’re a chain that’s on the same level as the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, but even nicer. If you’ve never had the chance to stay at a Ritz or a Four Seasons property, it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve stayed at both before, and the MO exceeded my expectations. Upon check-in, I was only called by my last name. I’m not exactly an adult yea (uhhh) so I am not used to being spoken to so properly. However, I kind of liked it. When I walked into my room, I was greeted with delicious macarons and cookies that the staff had sent me. I jumped onto the bed (we had a suite) and started working before heading to the gym. The entire apartment is incredibly homey, unlike some hotels where you feel like you’re at a hotel. Making a hotel room feel like a home is a difficult task, yet the Mandarin managed to succeed at that task.

On Saturday after the conference, we met the head of public relations for dinner and feasted on beef tartare, cheesecakes and mussels. I was also given the opportunity to have a massage which changed my life because I’m pretty stressed out all of the time. Every part of our stay was unique, and that’s why it’s a property that I’ll never forget staying at. The hotel was almost so nice that I wouldn’t want to stay at any other Mandarin besides the D.C. one!

So much love to the entire team there and to everyone who made that incredible stay possible! Enjoy the video we put together below!

I had a whirlwind of a week last week! I was in a new city everyday which was so freakin’ cool! I ended up in D.C. speaking with Soledad O’Brien at her conference for young girls. She hosts summits in cities across the country to mentor girls from 13-21 on college, gap years and technology. I was asked to speak on a panel relating to technology and stem: I was seated next to an astronaut and the marketing director at Lyft. The conference started off with me mentoring a table of girls who were 14 and 21 about college and starting blogs: they’re all interested in the fashion world, and have big dreams about working at top companies and starting their own brand. When I started the conversation asking about what the girls wanted to do when they got older: the 14-year-old immediately said she wanted to be an entrepreanur, and it made my heart melt! So long to the days of girls wanting to be housewives: these girls want to start businesses and rise to the top in any field they pursue. How fantastic is that?

Since I was the youngest person on the panel, I wanted to look a little more youthful on Saturday. I opted for a dress by The Kooples that I rented from Rent The Runway, which is a seriously genius site for those of us who aren’t looked to spend $500 on a piece of fabric. It was my first time using the service and I was very impressed. I threw on a new (un-rented) cardigan from Club Monaco and my thrifted Rebecca Minkoff heels on and I was out the door in a second! You really don’t have to spend a ton of dough to feel confident and successful. You can even rent a prom dress nowadays!

Video of the conference coming this week! I’m off to Istanbul on Wednesday.

Before you freak out, I totally didn’t come from the gym or walk into the gym in makeup. I’m dressed up above because I had a different shoot and wanted to do a fun shoot with SoulCycle clothing afterwards! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that SoulCycle (the incredibly fancy boutique spin studio, now owned by Equinox) gives me 8-10 classes every month to go in and spin. I first tried SoulCycle years ago when I was living in the Financial District in Manhattan: there happened to be a studio right across from my apartment. At the time, I had no money, so I couldn’t afford a $34 spin class. But some time ago, SoulCycle used to give riders their first class free…so I’d make different accounts and try out classes all around town! I’ve watched boutique fitness blow up over the past 5 years, with everyone from middle-aged moms to college students (and some kids) taking part in barre, spin and boxing classes.

Sure, SoulCycle is known for being the spin studio that Justin Bieber and Kelly Ripa frequent. It’s the place you might just meet your boyfriend or girlfriend, or even try out a shampoo/conditioner that you can’t afford to keep in your apartment. I’ve gone to studios in pretty much every city in this country, and I have to say, SoulCycle makes exercising fun. I’ve battled with my body for my entire life: hating one part and liking another. I think it’s human nature for females and males to constantly want to change their body in some degree. That’s why young people turn to crash diets, unhealthy protein bars and overexercising to make up for the anxiety and stress. I sure did.

The different between a brand like SoulCycle and your average 24 Hour Fitness is that SoulCycle is a brand: they know how to get you in the door, in the mood, and out of the door after a 45-minute class feeling like a new version of yourself. I don’t find their classes to be harder than a boxing or a running class, but I love going to my weekly SoulCycle class at my local West Hollywood studio and banging it out on the bike for the SoulSurvivor (1-hour) class. I really like this one instructor named Love, and her playlists are worth the $34 class (if you’re paying).

You only have this one life: you’re allowed to indulge in workout classes, nice meals or an occasional facial if you think it’ll improve your mental health. Why not!?

When I think of the word fearless, I think of a few things. First of all, I think of myself. Earlier this year I was sitting down for lunch with my manager and she was asking me tons of questions about my journey and how I decided to follow this path completely on my own. It got me thinking about what made me want to do something so different with my life, and I landed on the word fearless when tailoring my journey down to a few sentences.

We’re living in a world where women are still suppressed and expected to be housewives instead of CEOs. We’re living in a world where young girls are expected to play with barbies instead of learn how to do something like code or write a book.

What could we be doing differently to open up young people: male and female, to get out of there comfort zone…approach the cute girl/guy at school or at a bar. Go up to your teacher and ask for help with the science project. Heck, take a class to learn Japanese!

How can you expect to learn and grow if you’re not pushing yourself everyday to do something that scares you?

We’re all fearless: but sometimes we have to dig a little deeper to find out what makes us fearless.

What did I partake in this week? An insanely difficult workout with a fantastic and inspiration trainer today in Washington. When I first went to this gym last year, I walked out feeling physically and mentally stronger.

Hair and makeup by Thomas Taft Salon in SoHo / Photography by Jillian Moffa 

Paige Denim and Rebecca Taylor top

Yesterday was absolutely nuts! I ran around NYC all day with excitement about 1) Friday because of #FearlessFridays and because of the teen empowerment conference I’m planning. I have days where I don’t sleep because I’m so excited about something I’m working on, like this conference. I’ve been to and spoken at a solid amount of conferences over the past years, and I often walk away wishing that the material related just a little more to me. Conferences aren’t tailored for young adults or teenagers, but why aren’t they? I think young people are the ones that need to know as much about adulthood and business as possible, because we totally aren’t taught anything in school relating to business or taxes…am I right or am I right? I’m not saying that everyone needs to go and start a business or skip college, but regardless of what you decide to pursue in life: we all need to learn basic skills like paying taxes and tipping at restaurants. I am envisioning this conference as a full-day event in Manhattan filled with kicka** speakers, food, and SoulCycle classes! If you think you have something fantastic to contribute to this conference, please email me! I’m looking for all walks of life, stories, and interesting people to get involved!

I stopped by the AOL Built by Girls office that’s located around Union Square, and resembles a WeWork office with even better coffee (in my opinion) to be interviewed for their profile series yesterday too! I’m all about comfort, so I ended up wearing jeans and a new top I got on sale at Nordstrom. Thomas Taft Salon in SoHo did my hair & makeup for the shoot- and the stylist was literally the kindest person I’ve ever spoken to. She ended up talking to me for the entire period of time she was doing my hair and makeup about female empowerment and what it means to get out of your comfort zone and do something different with your life! Even if it means trying a new workout class or simply trying a new food: we all deserve the freedom to speak our mind and do what we love.

The Built by Girls interview will be coming out closer to June- stay tuned! Head to the next post to see what I’m doing this week for #FearlessFridays!

I missed you guys so much. Thank you for hanging tight while I focused on some projects happening offline! I’m excited to bring back This is Life Unfiltered, my weekly podcast, this week with a lovely guest…Amanda Zuckerman of Dormify! Amanda is completely revolutionizing how young people prepare for college by maintaining a one-stop shop for all things dorm. In an effort to buy affordable dorm furniture that’s also chic, Amanda found herself stuck and confused. Why wasn’t there a website out there that had fantastic and stylish options for average prices? That’s how Dormify came along.

Listen on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher! How are you living life unfiltered this week?

Follow us on social media at This is Life Unfiltered on Instagram and Twitter.

Want to see Alexa speak in 2018? Check out where she’ll be so far this year! This list will continue to be updated. 

Join Alexa in Washington, D.C. this Sunday with Soledad O’Brien at the Powherful Foundation summit at the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are still available and Alexa will be speaking with Soledad on a panel about STEM & technology!

Join Alexa in Providence, Rhode Island in October 2018 as she leads her own talk at The PVD Lady Project Summit! 

We were at this one last year and had a blast!

Join Alexa, Amal Clooney, Lauren Brody of The Fifth Trimester and more as they speak about women empowerment and self-love in Pennsylvania on October 12th! 

Alexa will be speaking on October 16th (the day after her 21st birthday) at the Northeastern University Tuesday Speaker Series program in Boston! She will speak from 8-9:30 PM on building a brand and being a young entrepreneur. More details to come.

On November 27th, Alexa will be at the University of Uconn speaking to the entrepreneurship division over their weekly pizza night!

On October 8th, Alexa will be at Eastern Connecticut State University to host a seminar. For further details on that, please click here. 

Alexa will be speaking to the entrepreneur program at Menlo College in Palo Alto, California on November 13th at 11:10 AM. To read more about their program click here.

On November 28th Alexa will be presenting to the business school at Rutgers University in New Jersey from 3:10-4:10 PM!

Keep up with Alexa on social media to stay updated on where she’ll be!

I feel very weird labeling a how-to guide about how-to be a blogger. I believe I’ve even written about this before, but since I recently launched the new layout, I figured I’d come back with some refurbished ideas. I’m always asked two questions by you guys:

1. How do I escape my small town?
2. How can I be a “blogger”?

I get DM after DM on Instagram asking me what my advice is for starting a blog, or for staying consistent with blogging. You’ve probably read so many posts from other bloggers about how to be bloggers, which makes the topic annoying and slightly monotonous, but since I’m asked the question all of the time…I love getting your messages and checking out your blogs, but I think it’s time you little cute people fly on your own and have a guide for answers to your questions!

If you haven’t had a chance to read through my story, I started A Life in the Fashion Lane back in 2011. This is a time in a land far, far away when blogging was not cool. Social media was confusing, and Instagram was filled with wonky filters that are considered very ugly and outdated now. I’m 20 years old, and I already feel elderly writing this post. When I introduce myself to someone, I honestly avoid saying I’m a blogger. I definitely don’t say I’m an influencer because I don’t find myself to be an influencer. Like, what is an influencer? I prefer to just say I run a site for teens and a nonprofit on social media and mental health. Boom!

 I frequently say the same thing to those who reach out to me: find what sets you apart, and start your journey there. Don’t start a blog because you want to set yourself apart by doing something that’s going to set you apart, because everyone is a blogger right now. I yearn for the days I could write a post without thinking whose going to read it, hate me because I say something that someone doesn’t understand, or question me on. I adore my job, of course! But this world isn’t like it was when I started.

Alexa’s Tips For Blogging 

1. I started on Blogger and then I went to Squarespace and now I’m on WordPress. I paid a lot of money for this new website design: and it’s way more than I’ve ever paid. I used to pay $400 a year for a design on Squarespace and $16 a month for hosting. I do not advise you to use Wix or Weebly: I just think the layout of Squarespace and WordPress is much cleaner.

2. How will you find a cool design? Squarespace has tons of fantastic layouts that come with the website, but you have to find someone to actually design the site for you. 2 years ago someone tried to take me to court because they said I stole their Squarespace site layout from them? But Squarespace has 16 site layouts, so I had to choose 1/16…Weird. Any who, you can Google “website designers”, use Craigslist, use 99designs.com, check out other blogs and scroll to the bottom and check out where it says “designed by…”. There are millions of designers out there! You could probably even find one at a college by writing a post on a college design Facebook page or something.

3. How do you set yourself apart? Well, what makes you unique? What do you like? Food, clocks, bikes? Can you make a website to design bikes for people in Indonesia? Sure! I have days where I don’t even know what sets me apart. I’m just out here following my dreams, inspiring you guys to follow yours by my unusual journey. When I’m confused, I’ll take myself on a hike or write in a journal to understand what the next step in my life is.

4. How do you promote yourself! So way back when, I started as a freelance writer at Parade Magazine, Huffington Post and Guest of a Guest while I was blogging. That kind of put me on the map because I was 14 and writing about the top 7 hotels in Manhattan to get free hotel rooms to take pictures in for my blog. One time, Trump even tweeted to me before he was in office! Depending on what that thing is that sets you apart, you can promote yourself leading with that. If you want to be a fashion blogger, find a fashion writer at Refinery29 or Urban Outfitters and ask to style them in return for publicity. If you want to be a stylist, do the same. Want to be a freelance writer? Find emails on LinkedIn or press releases and pitch yourself! Sell yourself. Why do you deserve to write for X, Y, Z?

5. How do you make money! Oh boy, I’m asked this question at least twice per day. I’ve been working with the brands I work with for years. It’s the kind of thing where I almost feel like I’m casually dating my brands, like Lands’ End and Lane Bryant. Like, you know when you meet a cute boy and you don’t want to seem too interested so you kind of play hard to get but then you find yourself bored and alone on a Saturday night so you leap and text them? Sometimes they’ll reply and sometimes they’ll be like yea, not interested. That’s me with my brands! This world is all about relationships: if you have talent, and you showcase your talent properly, people will eventually catch on. If you have something to offer, don’t be afraid to ask for something in return. Literally, it’s dating.

6. Once you’re ready…how do you price yourself? The age old question! Well, I say when you’re ready because I don’t think that money should be your priority. If you’re a fashion blogger or trying to promote some type of fashion, then you should join RewardStyle or Like2KnowIt (Did I spell that right?) but I’m not a fashion blogger so I’m probably not the best person to ask for questions related to fashion blogging. But, I know a thing or two about business. My friend messaged me the other day asking how much she should charge for a styling session with a Boston- based boutique. She’s never done something like that before but she has styled people. I told her I’d charge $250-$500 depending on a range of factors: how much time will be spent? how many posts are they expecting? how many people will be styled? are you doing Instagram story or just Snapchat?

If you want to start a blog to start a business, you have to start thinking of yourself as a business. Everything you do, public figure or business, reflects on you: if you’re just starting, you don’t need to charge $2,000 for a sponsored post unless you’re the next Logan Paul. And if you are the next Logan Paul, you better be adding a few extras 0s to that price tag above. Have fun with it- most of this is trial and error. You might get a bite (a lead) from one brand and no leads from the next 50- who cares! What sets you apart is how much BS you’re willing to put up with, and how much you love creating content.

Perhaps you have friends who are going away to college or friends who are moving out of state and starting a new chapter in their lives. This can be an exciting time but also a scary one, as lifelong friendships shift and social circles move as people make new friends in new towns. If this is the case for you, then don’t worry and feel sad that you are losing your friend. Instead plan fun ways for you to keep your friendship real and keep them close, even if geographically they are far away. Follow these top tips to ensure your important friendships last.

Spend real time not screen time together

Social media and social apps are great ways to keep in touch, with Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and WhatsApp making it easier than ever to find out what your friends are up to on a regular basis. While this is good, it only goes so far and is no replacement for real-life friends. A quickly texted emoji is not the same as a heart-to-heart chat or some quality time together, so even though you might feel that you are in regular contact make sure that you both carve out some physical time spent together, even if you now live further away from each other. Doing so will strengthen your friendship, and can even bring you closer as both of you will know the effort it takes to meet up and appreciate it even more.

Plan a fun weekend away to catch up

If you don’t live so close to your good friends anymore, or perhaps you do but your busy lives mean you do not get to see each other as much as you would like, then planning a fun weekend away can allow you to catch up properly and spend quality time together without distractions. Stay in a luxury spa for a weekend and get pampered with massages, manicures and relaxing times together in the hot tub. Or rent an apartment in another city and plan fun activities, such as doing an escape room together. Escape Room Charlotte offers a range of game options, from following the clues to recover stolen artwork to pretending to be top spies on a mission, and this is a fun and thrilling way to get your heart rates up and bond together as you solve the puzzles.  

Sign up for a class together

If you live nearby but find that hectic schedules mean that you see less of each other, why not sign up for a class together? It can be anything from a craft class, such as learning to sew your own clothes, to dance or sports class or even learning a new language together, perhaps even plan on a mini-breakaway together to practice the language in the future! By signing up to a weekly class together you will have a regular opportunity to catch up and will be far more likely to meet up even when life gets hectic as you will have already committed to it, and a class is less easy to skip than a casually arranged coffee.

Earlier this week I had the chance to stop by the Built by Girls at AOL office in Manhattan to check out everything they have going on! If you aren’t familiar with Built by Girls, it’s a fantastic female empowerment platform that encourages girls across the globe to truly accept and love who they are. The AOL BUILD series is just as cool, interviewing people from Bailee Madison to Kristin Cavallari about being entrepreneurs and promoting self-love. Built by Girls has a program called WAVE, which is similar to Kode by Klossy, and teams young girls up with fantastic staff of huge companies to help you learn coding, how to land your dream job, and more!

Calling all 15-22 y.o. girls! Want to be matched with an Advisor from Snapchat, Spotify, Amazon and more to help build your first network in tech and get your dream job? Join @BUILTBYGIRLS WAVE to connect with top tech professionals for in-person 1:1 sessions. Sign up by 4/20: [http://ow.ly/SiWk30jxMFh] #BUILTBYGIRLS