Last year, I spoke at Bookcon and introduced Chelsea Crockett and Natasha Bure. I met both of them and knew that they were both such incredible and sweet people. A few weeks ago, we had Natasha on This is Life Unfiltered for episode 9, and today we have Chelsea on! She’s an author, a Youtuber, and a small town girl like me. If you’re living in a small town, trying to figure out how to afford college and follow your dreams, this is the episode for you! Her book was published in October with HarperCollins, and how many teens can say they’ve published a book before 21?!

Enjoy episode 11!

Xo,

Alexa

Happy New Year!!! I seriously can’t believe it’s already 2018. While everyone is discussing their resolutions for the New Year, do you feel like you are the only one that eye rolls when people start with that “New Year, New Me” concept? Let’s be real, our resolutions become forgotten by the time it’s Valentine’s day. According to statistics, only 8% of the human population stick to their resolution. So round of applause if you’re one of them! But why is it that the rest of the 92% of human population cannot? Do school assignments and long days at work get in the way that we forget what our resolution was? I know with the amount of work we get every day can be tiring and I, myself forget everything going on around me when I have so much on my plate.

Resolutions such as weight loss and exercise and saving money are just some of the typical things that everyone seems to overhype on and then forget about a quarter into the year. But how do people get  into the mentality that they can start working out in the beginning of a new year when they can’t in August? To me, that makes no sense but to others, it’s the opportunity to start fresh on a new year. Or perhaps we set too many resolutions that we try to keep up with every year that we can never fully focus on just one?

Making resolutions involves changing your mentality. I like to say that it’s more important to make lifestyle changes compared to changes that are closer to fads. Making a resolution is enforcing a commitment. If you don’t want to seriously change anything, why make a commitment to yourself that won’t stick?

I personally feel that at this point in life, there is no need for me to set a resolution but instead focus on bettering myself from the previous year. As long as I’m organized in work, healthy in life and making memories with others, there should be no need to fret.

Do you have a resolution or are you just going to live life to the fullest?

Xo,

Alexa

On Episode 10 of This is Life Unfiltered, we did a giveaway with Sara Happ, and the winner had to DM us and tell us what she wanted to change in 2018. We weren’t talking about body appearance, or shoe size (I always wanted to change my shoe size, how pathetic is that) but instead of how to grow and learn in 2018. Here’s what her message said:

This message stuck with me. I hear it over and over and over again: Gen-Z, Gen-X, millennials, all trying to go to school, be in every club, start a blog, make money from their blog, go to prom, buy a car…but how in the world can you possibly do it all? I’m convinced that anxiety and stress is incredibly heightened in the generations after mine because of social media. Imagine going to school, bored in your class and scrolling through Instagram, and constantly feeling like you should be starting a blog or an Instagram page to make money to help you pay for college. Instead of following my exact path of (spending all of my time in the bathroom on this Craigslist page trying to network with business owners), finishing high school and heading to college is what you are probably planning on doing, right?  I have gone to conferences, read books, started my own e-book, and more to understand and answer this question of doing it all properly. I want to help my friends who have been suffering through this terrible phase for years, still coming out with a shitty job and little happiness on the other end.

What I’ve noticed is that people are afraid to take the first step. As Marisa said in her message, she has all these great goals for her life and brand, yet she finds herself scrolling through Instagram. By the time the social media scrolling ends, it’s 7 PM and there isn’t enough time to sit down and “create a business plan” by then. Do you think Elon Musk seriously woke up one day, created 1 Tesla, and become a billionaire? Hell no! I didn’t wake up one day, start my blog, and see $10,000 in my bank account overnight. I’ve been blogging for six years and Elon Musk is double my age. You don’t need to wake up and write a business plan for your company or your blog. You simply need an idea, sustainable or maybe (initially) not sustainable, and the passion and drive to accomplish step 1. Starting! By starting, I mean writing down in a notebook or a Kindle where you want to be in five years.

Want to be sitting in an office  with 20 staff members asking you to answer their emails? Write down “start my own home furnishings company” and below that, you write “and my team is constantly asking me to answer their emails”. Sounds funny, but that’s what I did for years. Get signed with FORD Models. If you find yourself scrolling through Instagram, buy a book (I’m reading Sheryl Sandberg right now) turn your phone off and read.  Ann Shoket, who spoke at my Big Life dinner in Boston, has a fabulous book for young hustlers. Buy some business cards on your credit card and go to Whole Foods; ask some people what they’d read on a blog, or if they run a business and want help marketing. If you’re desperate for money and want to make it happen, you make it happen. There is no time better than right now. Growing up, my biggest fear was that in 25 years, I’d look back and realize that I hadn’t followed my dreams. Even if I failed after 25 years, I could have something to show for after years of chasing a dream. After years of thinking I wanted to be a model and an actress when I was age 7, 8, 9, 10, and then realizing I was destined to fail in that world, I had the idea to start my blog. No business plan needed: just an idea. I understand I didn’t need to make money, but I did need to escape my life just as badly as you may feel like, and I was equally as stuck. There are billions of people in the world, and you can be the next whatever you want to be. You just have to be confident enough in yourself to start somewhere.

Pro tip: Start a LinkedIn! Model it after mine, here. Have nothing to say? You can B.S. a little. Want to work in marketing? Say you did social media for your mom and her friend. Want to be in fashion? Call up a local boutique in your town, ask if you can “shadow” or intern for 1 day per week, and stick that on your profile. Who said you aren’t doing anything with your life!?

P.S. If you’re in the marketing field, this Craigslist tab changed my life. Click some of the top cities (Chicago, New York, LA, Boston) and go to the jobs category, click “marketing, PR, ad”. I’ve had tons of remote social media jobs (when I needed to make instant cash) from this Craigslist tab. Your side hustle, whatever that may be, might not make you money off of the bat. But we’ve all got a side hustle, and we all have to make time for that little baby. Mine is my nonprofit, M.I.N.T. If I was making the big bucks off of what I really love to do, which is work on M.I.N.T., you’d probably see M.I.N.T. curriculum in every school by now! I’ve got to pay my bills, and so do you. Believe in yourself!

Xo,

Alexa

In case you don’t have time to watch the video…welcome to 73 questions with me!

1. What’s your favorite movie? Sex and the City

2. Favorite food to cook? Paleo caramel tart

3. Best place to spend NYE: New York City

4. The best thing you’ve bought for yourself this year? My Louis Vuitton phone case

5. Whats your go-to outfit? Black skinny jeans with combat boots

6. Favorite TV show that’s currently on? How to Get Away with Murder

7. On a scale of one to ten how excited are you about life right now? 9!

8. iPhone or Android? iPhone

9. Favorite beauty product/ regime? I’m so terrible with beauty so I usually try and use my SKOAH cleanser at night with a spirulina toner (jeez, I sound so LA) and then I throw on some moisturizer (literally) and voila

10. Who should EVERYONE be following right now? National Geographic

11. What’s your favorite clothing store? Intermix

12. Least favorite food? Frog legs

13. What do you love on your pizza? Allll of the cheeses and sundried tomatoes, pesto and grilled chicken

14. Best friend? Ryley & Gabe

15. Favorite dessert? Blondie with ice cream

16. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Dark

17. Coffee or tea? Coffee

18. One place you want to go in 2018? Malaysia

19. One trip you wish you hadn’t ever gone on: Thailand

20. When you knew you wanted to be a blogger: When money started coming in

21. Do you have a favorite performer? G-Eazy

22. What do you do when you’re not working? Workout, read, watch a movie, bake something

23. If you could master one instrument, what would it be? Guitar

24. What is your next tattoo? Hustle on my ribs

26. What makes your parents special? They are so genuine and nice all of the time. I respect that!

27. Do you like animals? No

28. Best gift you’ve ever received? My Ray-Bans

29. Best gift you’ve ever given? A trip to Maui

30. Last gift you gave a friend? Ray-Bans

31. What’s your least favorite part about your job? Feeling like I never have enough time in a day

32. What’s your favorite country to visit? Turkey

33. What’s the last country you visited? Switzerland

35. What’s your favorite exercise move? Pilates

36. Craziest life changing moment? When Rachael Ray called me

37. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds

38. Heels or flats? Sneakers

39. Pilates or yoga? Pilates

40. Jogging or swimming? Running

41. Best way to de-stress? Running

42. If you had one superpower, what would it be? Reading minds

43. The best phone call you ever received? When Rachael Ray called me when I was 16

44. What did you get your mom for Christmas? A red J.Crew jacket

45. When was the last time you cried? Saturday

46. Do you like your handwriting? Not at all

47. Do you bake? Yes

48. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? Always being so tough on myself

49. What is your most favorite thing about yourself? My drive

50. Who do you miss most? My sisters ex-husband

51. What are you listening to right now? G-Eazy and LINES

52. Favorite smell? Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb

53. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My dad

54. Who was the last person you sent a text to? My boyfriend

55. A sport you wish you could play? Soccer

58. Scary film or happy endings? Thriller

59. Favorite season? Fall

60. Three people alive or dead that you would like to have dinner with? Halsey, Michelle Obama and Audrey Hepburn

61. Hugs or kisses? Hugs 

62. G Eazy or Halsey? Both

63. Channing Tatum or George Clooney? George Clooney

64. What is the farthest you have been from home? Europe

65. Sweet or savory? Sweet

66. Lipstick or lip gloss? Lipgloss

68. Best trip to traveling abroad alone? Always change the time immediately when you get on the plane: this changed my life!

69. What would be the title of your autobiography? Hmmm….

70. Favorite sound? Running on leaves

71. Favorite animal? A super small dog

72. Who is your girl crush? Madison Beer

73. Last photograph you took? Beautiful winter trees

Xo,

Alexa

I hope you had an amazing holiday! I spent Sunday and Monday with family and it was so relaxing. On Sunday morning, I deleted Snapchat and Instagram from my phone for a solid 24 hours, and I felt like a new person when I woke up on Monday. It’s so easy to say I’m not going to go on social media for an entire day and then someone sends me a picture or tells me to look at something and I get sucked right back in, so actually deleting the platform was a solid move for me. My goal for 2018 is to not be so hard on myself (I know that probably won’t change) and to live even more in the moment. I’m so over resolutions around diets and changing the way you look. What can you do in 2018 that makes you grow and learn?

Now that 2018 is approaching, Gabe and I took some time this week to talk about why new year’s resolutions don’t work (or matter) and how you can avoid a creative rut. Plus, we talked about why we both decided to move to LA, as that’s a question that both of us are always asked. We initially went to LA for three months (and were set on never going back) but then we both got offered opportunities that extended past three months. Now, we’re planning to return in January for six more months. I’m nervous, and anxious, but looking forward to what the future brings. If you listen to episode 10, you’ll hear me say that moving to a new city that scares the s*** out of me. I have insane amounts of anxiety over leaving Connecticut and flying back to the most intimidating city in the world. Maybe some people drive to a new city for a day, or try a new food, but I can’t keep growing unless I’m jumping into something that I’m not used to. We’re also giving our tips for moving to a new city if you don’t have tons of money or have always dreamt of leaving your small town and don’t know what the first step is!

Listen around the 20 minute mark for a giveaway with Sara Happ! DM This is Life Unfiltered or myself on Instagram/Twitter and tell us what you’re excited for in 2018.

Xo,

Alexa

If you’ve never heard of Cliche Magazine, it’s a super rad digital fashion magazine with a mission. Past cover issues have featured insta-celebs like Emma Kenney (Shameless), Lauren Giraldo (Vine) and Dorothy Wang. I was seriously honored to be interviewed in their December/January issue with K-Syran on the front! I was asked all about my nonprofit, why I started my blog, and how fashion inspired me to push for change in the industry.

Read the full spread here!

Xo,

Alexa

I’ve been sponsored by T-Mobile for about 5 months now, and the team initially sent me the Google Pixel phone to review. At that time, I didn’t know that Apple would be releasing an iPhone 8 or X, so I figured that the Pixel would be the best phone for pictures. When the new iPhone came out, I was eager to get my hands on one without shelling out $1k for a cell phone. So I did! T-Mobile overnighted me the iPhone X on Monday, and I finally had a chance to open it up today and see what all of the obvious obsession with this phone is about! Watch it below, and watch my video with advice and tips about how to get yourself sponsored by major brands here.

Xo,

Alexa

Episode 9 of This is Life Unfiltered is live! I met Natasha months ago at Bookcon in Manhattan, when Harper Collins asked me to present both Natasha and Chelsea Crockett during their panel. I immediately fell in love with both girls, because I knew I could trust and respect both of them as business owners and friends. When I moved out to LA, I reached out to Natasha about being on an episode and she was totally down with the idea! We filmed at my podcast studio in Culver City, and bonded over how so many young influencers become famous overnight, and why you have to work hard and hustle to become successful regardless of who you know.

Listen below and on iTunes now!

Xo,

Alexa

I was at the gym this morning and the news was on. Almost every station had Keaton Jone’s video on, who is the young child that spoke out about the bullying he endured in his school. I’ve been speaking to parents and kids over the past 24 hours to get their opinion on why this particular video went viral, which is why I wanted to write a post on it.

Bullying has existed, and will exist, prior to and past my time. The more I dive into the world of social media, and being in the public eye, I see how often bullying happens. In my opinion, the video of Keaton showcases a classic example of what people think bullying is. A child who doesn’t “fit in” with the popular kids is put down, and badgered, and therefore usually turns to self-harm or depression as a way to avoid speaking about the unfortunate event that occurs. When bullying does occur, it’s rare that schools have assemblies or interventions to stop the bullying from continuing. But when a video like this does come out, schools and media get involved to try and make up for the lack of attention our society has given to bullying. When I was the spokesperson for Bridg-it, an anti-bullying platform, I found myself questioning schools about why they don’t all install Bridg-it in their school systems. The most common response I got was that public schools don’t have funding for a platform like Bridg-it, and therefore don’t want to take the time to research a platform that they know they don’t have budget for. If you’re not familiar with the Bridg-it platform, it’s an anonymous website on all school computers where you can instantly report any bullying or abuse in schools and the faculty is immediately alerted.

What we need is more open discussions in schools with both adults & students to get the results we want: less bullying, and more conversations surrounding mental health and confidence. No one can eradicate bullying in 2017, or 2018, but we can start the conversation and research behind why kids bully and put down other kids, and what the kids who get bullied and bully can do when the urge to put someone else down comes on.

I have no doubt that Keaton was bullied. I don’t believe I would’ve taken a video of my child crying and posted on the Internet: I would’ve brought him into school and demanded a meeting with the head of the school. If that didn’t solve anything, I would’ve gone above the head. I would love to hear your thoughts below on how you handle your child getting bullied, and how you would react in this type of situation.

Xo,

Alexa

This weekend was so rad! One of my best friends Abie came to visit my hometown from NYC, and I got to show her around town for the weekend while the snow came down outside! An article on me came out in the second page of a local newspaper on Saturday, and I found out because Gabe’s grandma emailed him a picture of the paper and he forwarded it to me. I would’ve had no clue the piece even came out. I immediately went to the store and picked up the paper, and flipped to page three and saw a huge picture of myself! It’s really neat and satisfying to see myself in a local newspaper because it reminds me that I’m doing work that people are noticing. That’s a huge honor, and something that I will never get used to thinking!

Have you listened to Episode 8 of This is Life Unfiltered with dating expert Jenna Birch? Listen below!

Xo,

Alexa