Every year I attend the MA Conference for Women, and this year, I was lucky enough to see Viola Davis and Meryl Streep!
Seriously, there is nothing more inspiring than spending the day around inspiring women. I have been attending the MA Conference for Women for over three years now, and each year brings me more inspiration. This year, Meryl Streep and Viola Davis headlined the conference, which made for an incredibly packed conference area in the Seaport area of Boston. Having a tradition each year like going to a conference is really neat because I have a chance to look back on the past year and see what has changed. Last year, I would’ve thought you were crazy if you were to tell me that I was going to end up moving to LA and buying a Club Monaco jacket for winter. I’d never splurge on an expensive jacket or find myself moving to a place like Hollywood. It’s been 12 months, and here I am with both. I was lucky to bring a few of my friends to the conference this year so we could all connect and talk about what inspired us during the day. I find so many women don’t like supporting each other, and that is really difficult for me to understand. Why don’t women want to lift each other up instead of bring each other down?
I didn’t speak at the conference this year (I am always missing the darn deadline to apply) but I did get interviewed for a local morning show in MA. I was interviewed for over 20 minutes about my nonprofit M.I.N.T., as well as my advice for parents and teens who aren’t sure what they want to do with their lives or if they want to take a gap year in between going to college. I’m the first person to say that you should do what your heart tells you to do (cliche, but honest) and not to listen to your family because they may not have the best advice for you. It’s common that families want you to follow a traditional path that will guarantee you income in the future, but if you’re interested in starting your own company, there will never be any guarantee. You have to be willing to take the leap to see what happens in the end!
My first OFFICIAL holiday gift guide just for young adults!
I’ve been working on this for awhile trying to find the perfect brands for this guide. I haven’t done a post like this in quite a bit, but I’m really excited as I’ve been able to try all of these products and think they are perfect for any and all teens.
What I love about this company “besides the rockin woman who started it” is the simplicity of the charms. I’m a huge fan of the hustle necklace and I also dig how guys and girls can rock these pieces. Any chance I can get to support women entrepreneurs and start-ups is a chance I will take!
If you read my post a few weeks back on making your own cold-brew, you’d know how much I love saving money and drinking quality coffee. I came across civilized coffee and thought that the concept was genious for teens, parens, and just about everyone in between. If you’re looking to become a real “adult” I suggest treating someone to a supply of quality coffee beans and a mason jar from Civilized Coffee this season.
3. Linger Fragrance Primer (to stay fresh before and after school):
For the girls who don’t always have the time to shower right after the gym, Linger is a lasting fragrance primer that you put on under your regular perfume that last 3-5 times longer than your average perfume. It is alcohol-free, oil-free, and a fantastic way to get your scent to last you all day. Use code LINGER1 for 10% OFF!
For the college kid at-heart, nuyu offers clothing that you can customize depending on the school you attend. Between cozy joggers and sexy sports bras, you are bound to be the most spirited student on campus. Have I mentioned how affordable the prices are compared to other athleisure?
Selfie sticks are the trend of 2015, CliqueFie is bringing them back in 2017 and better than ever before. CliqueFie offers selfie sticks and select accessories that are chic and great quality. Use code ALEXA20 for 20% OFF your first purchase!
Aspiring videographers and photographers, Lifie takes you one step closer to having high-quality, edited videos for less. I was very impressed with the video they made for me from my Lake Tahoe trip and it was like having a video editor at the tip-of-your-thumb.
Maybe you’re a teen buying for a sibling or you’re looking for a gift for the child in your life, but aren’t we all “children” at hear? Fin Fun offers mermaid and mermen tails, as well as a variety of ocean-apparel for all kids. For the full mermaid experience you can actually swim in these tails thanks to Fin Fun’s patented monofin. There are dozens of colorful designs to choose from with new ones being added monthly
Karina Garcia is a YouTube and Instagram queen, boasting millions of followers who tune into her weekly videos that are great for young adults and kids. Her slime kit is unlike no other, and you can create your own custom slime to glow, sparkle and pop! It’s a fun acitivty for kids at holiday parties, too.
Does your teen need a bit of jewelry to spruce up her day? Well, Dannini Jewelry might be the brand you need. Designed by a husband and wife team whose passion for love and life inspire them to create the most breathtaking and romantic jewelry, the magic began 15 years ago when the newlyweds traveled to the Caribbean to spend a romantic, life-changing honeymoon. The company now specializes in high-quality diamond jewelry, with a big bridal custom business. Say goodbye to David Yurman and hello to everything glitter and gold!
I am constantly asked how I got myself sponsored by British Airways when I was 14, so I wanted to give you guys the answers to all of your questions about sponsorships, making money doing what you love & more.
Hello, World!
People always ask me three questions when they meet me.
1. What do you do?
2. Why do you do what you do?
3. How do you make money doing what you love?
When I was younger, all I wanted to do was make money following my dreams. I had no clue how I could possibly make that happen, but my business has drastically grown over the past year. Most people don’t know that I started my blog over 4 years ago now, so I’ve been in this world for what feels like forever. I had no training, no experience, and no idea what I was getting into when I started my journey. Everything I learned was trial and error. Because of my lack of knowledge and experience, I am very lucky that I started my blog simply because I had nowhere else to write my feelings: I didn’t go into my blog wanting to make money or a career out of this. I actually wanted to be an actress for all of my childhood years, so blogging was not a part of the plan! I’m convinced that people who go into any opportunity or career with no expectations end up coming out more successful than people who go into something looking for money.
Because of my interest in writing and entrepreneurship, I was constantly finding new ways to set myself up for the future I wanted. When I started my blog, the only other young adult blogger in the game was Tavi Gevinson. People weren’t doing sponsored posts and Instagram marketing back in 2011: Instagram was nowhere as chic as it is now. There were some other girls who were in the same “teen” blogging community, but none of them were (likely) failing school and trying to find new ways to break into the industry, like myself. I was never afraid to push limits. I emailed people for hours each day, before and after school, asking for tickets to fashion week, an open position at a magazine to write, and different ways to network with people in the industry. Sure, getting as many “not interested” answers always hurt my feelings, but I usually managed to get up and move on to the next potential person who would say they were interested.
If you’re looking to break into the entertainment world, and start a business on social media, I won’t ruin the video below by writing everything here…but I highly suggest watching it. You may learn something that you didn’t know before watching! To be successful in running any business you need to be strong, confident, and not afraid to hear the word no over and over and over again.
I believe in you! And heck yes, you can make money doing what you love.
Episode 8 of This is Life Unfiltered is with my friend Jenna Birch, lifestyle journalist, dating + relationship columnist, and author of THE LOVE GAP!
Good morning beautiful humans! Today has been a major battle between my computer and myself. I have been figuring out all of these minor technical issues, between iMovie and GarageBand, that I never anticipated having to solve. I am terrible at anything relating to tech! I seem to have figured all of the minor difficulties out, and episode 8 is up now!
Jenna Birch is a force to be reckoned with. Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jenna wanted to be a writer since the third grade. Since she’s pursued journalism and writing full-time, Jenna has had bylines in magazines such as Teen Vogue, Cosmo Magazine, Yahoo and more. Jenna and Alexa met at the Talkspace conference over a year ago, and they bonded over a mutual interest of social media and dating, specifically how the modern dating game poses unsuspecting dangers for young adults. Jenna’s first book, “The Love Gap” (Grand Central Life & Style, January 2018), a forthcoming dating guide for modern women trying to navigate today’s complicated romantic landscape, comes to shelves in January of 2018! We’re thrilled to see this powerful lady following her dreams from an early age and she’s got some phenomenal tips for young adults when it comes to dating and breaking into the journalism side of the industry. We’ll talk with Jenna about why so many men are afraid to date smart women, why women don’t need to be married by 30, and more!
I celebrated the launch of the new Canada Goose store when I landed in Boston last week!
I splurged on the Club Monaco jacket (above) this weekend in Boston. I never seem to hit any black Friday or cyber Monday deals, and end up shopping on the most random and expensive days of the year. Occasionally, you have to treat yourself if you work hard! You only live one life: spend a few moments every day cherishing who you are, your body, and your mind.
Yesterday, I visited my business partner Steve in Holliston, MA at our office for M.I.N.T. When I left the office, I checked our inbox and saw that we were invited to speak at a Fusion Academy school in Palo Alto, CA. We spoke at Fusion in Houston back in October, and it was one of the most rewarding school talks we’ve had. I am working to arrange the nonprofit to be similar to Warby Parker & TOMS shoes: buy one get one free. If one private school could pay for us to come in, we’d be able to go to every public school for free. Each school is equally as important to target, which is why getting interest from both public + private schools shows that our plan is starting to work!
Being back in Boston, more so the East Coast, feels like a breath of fresh air. I completely understand why people don’t stay in California. Sure, Boston and New York are just as pretentious and intimidating, but my gosh, LA is so fake. I’ve never been to a city that is filled with so much wealth, so much plastic surgery, and so much sun. 7 days of week of sun, with no seasons, is bizarre! Everyday I wake up and feel like it’s summer in LA. People in Boston seem to be moving to California just to get away from the cold winters, but I’m almost enjoying the cold now that I’ve spent 3 straight months in direct sunlight.
If you could move to one city over the next year, where would you choose to go?
Before I release my teen gift guide, I wanted to showcase some other products I really love lately!
This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx.com, but I did get a chance to try out all of these products and I like them all. Hope you enjoy reading, and stay tuned for my teen gift guide, coming out tomorrow!
I know it sounds funny to promote healthy gums during the holiday season, but staying healthy on the inside and outside is crucial! My mom always had a Waterpik toothbrush when I was younger, and it’s exciting to see that her favorite product is still leading the way in the brushing department. What’s different about water flossing is that it removes plaque that constantly forms on our teeth, in a deeper format than a regular toothbrush. Have you ever tried a product like this before? Read more about the product you need in your life here!
I have used Le Tote in the past, and each time I receive a box, my experience is completely different. Since I was in LA when I happened to order my Le Tote this time around, I tried to choose summer clothing out of the selection on their website. If you’re not familiar with Le Tote, they partner with more than 150 brands including French Connection, Vince Camuto, BCBGeneration, Kate Spade and more. If you’re on a budget but still want designer duds, Le Tote is perfect for you or the lady in your life! The box always comes on time, and they keep you updated with emails about when to expect your delivery. You get to hold onto the clothes until you want to return them, and they send you a label for you to keep on hand until you wish to return the clothing. I wish I had chosen different items this time, but you can watch my full unboxing video below!
I’m obsessed with all kinds of sports tops. Since I spend a lot of time in the gym, or sprinting to meetings I’m late for, I’ll never say no to any gym top. What’s neat about the Arctic Cool Instant Cooling Shirt is that it uses HydroFreeze X, a fiber- based, cooling management system, to lower the temperature of the fabric to keep you cool, calm and collected during your workout. If you don’t have a chance to shower immediately after your workout, this top will keep you clean and fresh for some hours after your gym day. As you can see above, I almost died at SLT in Boston, but still came out on the other side thanks to my new top!
When I received my ancestry kit in the mail, I almost started laughing because for an entire year my mom tried to convince me to buy this for her as a gift! I ended up buying the DNA kit for her last Christmas, so now I get to try it on my own. 23andMe believes the best gift you can give (or
get!) is the chance to understand what makes someone who they are.
After following these steps, you’ll know more about your heritage than you probably ever imagined! I followed these steps and was incredibly impressed with how easy and speedy the process was.
1) Order your 23andMe kit (but you should already have a kit!)
2) Follow the instructions to spit into the tube and register your
sample. Then mail it back to our lab in the prepaid package.
3) In 6-8 weeks, we will send you an email to let you know your
reports are ready in your online account.
I’ve been into Sabon products since I first moved to NYC years ago. They had a few select stores across the city, so I used to wander in and smell all of the yummy products! This year, Sabon’s best-selling Body Scrub and Body Lotion is packaged in a limited edition holiday gift box.
It’s perfect for all of the girls in your life, and it comes packaged in the fanciest box and smells like heaven! I will be giving this product to my assistant Alexis, because she really enjoys the scent of rose and the pretty pink box will look great on her nightstand!
The SanDisk iXpand Base is a great gift idea for any girl or man in your life. This product allows you to automatically save photos, videos and contacts from your iPhone, while charging your phone. If you’re not a fan of wireless charging, it’s time you get on board. I truly enjoy walking around town with no cables and chords falling out of my bag at all times!
This would be a great gift for my best friend, or even my dad! iPhone accessories never go out of style.
How do you deal with family on the holidays? My guest blogger Ashley is here to give her insight on family parties + dealing with all of those questions!
SO HOW’S SCHOOL GOING?
Are you dating anyone?
What’s your major?
When will you graduate?
What are your goals this year?
What are you going to do with your life?
Have you found a job yet?
It is enough. To drive you. INSANE.
Sound familiar? This is an extreme case of what going home or being around family for the holidays is like. I wish I could say that as you get older it goes away, but… it doesn’t. You may as well learn how to deal with it now rather than spend every year dreading seeing all of your family.
Here’s the thing. As the years go on, the questions will change into
“when are you buying a house?”
“when will you have a baby?”
“when are you having another baby?”
My advice to you is this: don’t let these questions overwhelm you. If you don’t know what you’re doing with your life, that is completely normal. Don’t get me wrong, there comes a time in your 20s when you do need to sit down and figure out a plan for yourself to be successful, but you don’t owe those answers to anyone. And you know what? Your plans might change. Your plans WILL change. So for now, take a deep breath, and slap on the best smile you’ve got because your family is just that: FAMILY. Whether or not you believe so, they genuinely care about what you’re doing with your life. They want the best for you. It’s their job to make sure you know they care and that they’re here for you when you need it.
Let’s take it one step further:
Blending families during the holidays. Does this sound familiar to you? Do you have parents that have divorced, remarried, had more kids, etc? I do. And if you think it’s stressful right now, just wait until you get older. Wait until you’re married and you’ve had kids. It’s a game changer.
As a kid, I LOVED having several holiday gatherings to go to because it meant I got more presents. What kid wouldn’t?!
But as I got older, I found it harder and harder to choose which parent I wanted to spend it with and I never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings. Now that I have a child, the pressure is on even more so. I do have to say, that I have been blessed with a very communicative family who tries to make things work for everyone. That is the key. If you don’t have all parties willing to communicate, you may as well declare Christmas is at your home and no one elses, and see them at other times during the year. I’m in my thirties now, and I am just so done with people pleasing. The holidays are you and your families, and you should spend them how you want to. Not how they want you to. Is there a parent you’d rather spend the holiday with? Go with your gut. These are your memories too and it isn’t your fault that your parents are divorced, to be honest. But, through all of this… remember, they’r your parents. Be respectful and nice. Don’t be a jerk. Be grateful and pleasant. These are all things I struggled with as a kid (being grateful and pleasant for sure! haha)!
So, you want to be a model? @MameAdjei4 (America’s Next Top Model) joins me today on This is Life Unfiltered to talk about self-confidence & staying grounded in a superficial industry. Listen now on iTunes & SoundCloud!
Back in 2015, Cycle 22 of America’s Next Top Model premiered on The CW on August 5th. If you’ve never watched America’s Next Top Model – Tyra Banks rose to fame when she started a show that enabled young models to have the chance to get industry connections and modeling contracts without having to be “scouted.” Along came Mamé Adjei, a confident and striking model who ruled the show for the season and finished in second place. What stood out to us about Mamé, during our interview, was that she wasn’t just a pretty face. Adjei won the Miss Maryland crown before competing on the show, and went on to compete in Miss USA. Though she didn’t leave the show with the “ultimate” title, she’s been able to grow her platform so drastically that she’s now more than just a model. Her social media is filled with love and passion, which stems from her authentic and kind personality. She’s a prime example of how you don’t have to come from anything to become something, and everyone can benefit from advice. Follow her on social media at @MameAdjei and follow This is Life Unfiltered at @thisislifepodcast.
I finally found a athleisure company that isn’t overpriced, has strong morals, and is in my budget!
I walked into Lane Bryant the other day and couldn’t have been more impressed with the models staring back at me on the walls of the store. I’m talking models who have real bodies. Curves, stretch marks…the works. I wrote a post last week on Knixteen, which is the new teen friendly period underwear company. This week, I wanted to write about their sister company, Knixwear. Immediately upon typing in www.knixwear.com into my Chrome browser, I was thrilled to see models of all sizes on their website. It’s great to be slim, curvy, or in-between, because every body shape should be equally celebrated and accepted. Knixwear is similar to Knixteen because they both sell stylish underwear, but Knixwear has a much larger selection of items compared to the teen brand. I’m wearing the sports bra above, which I ordered in a size large. It fits like a comfortable glove. Occasionally when I’m exercising, I battle with not being able to find sports bras that are comfortable and let me be active without holding me down. This particular bra doesn’t come with any extra padding (which is awesome for young girls) and is incredibly easy to put on. How’s this bra different from an Aerie or Victoria Secret bra? When you hop onto the Knixwear site, you’ll see that they take pride in having clothing that women of all ages can wear. Knixwear sells very wearable and normal active clothing. Second, this bra wasn’t a hassle to put on because of underwires and difficult straps. Whenever I workout in clothing from a high-end retailer, I find myself looking good in the gym, but I always have to compromise comfort for fashion. Knixwear has managed to bring together two key aspects that many active companies can’t bring together: comfort AND style.
I also really like the pattern undies, as well as the jump rope and stretchy bands. I’m glad to see a company have fitness clothing & workout gear on their site! If you’ve never seen stretchy bands before, I totally suggest adding them to your cart. They got me the booty I never thought I’d have!
The next time you look in the mirror, remind yourself how beautiful you are. Because you are.
I made my own cold brew coffee this week, and it was the best decision I’ve made all month!
Disclaimer: If you don’t like coffee, you probably won’t like this post.
Since I’m a total coffee snob, I spend copious amounts of money per week on my daily cup of joe. It wasn’t until I looked at my bank statement a few weeks ago that I had a realization about my spending habits…there’s a lot of better places that my coffee allowance could go to that isn’t the instant satisfaction my daily coffee brings me. As much as I look forward to my daily coffee shop walk, my spending is getting out of control. During my attempt to find a coffee brand that lives up to Starbucks, Alfred’s, Panther Coffee…I found Civilized Coffee. One of the reasons that people spend so much money on coffee is because people love the idea of going out for their morning coffee shop run. Similar to me, I could spend hours in a coffee shop. Rainy or snowy day? I could spend multiple nights in that coffee shop! Whether you’re single, have kids, have a stressful job, or work from home, simply getting coffee wakes you up and makes you feel like a human. (My best friend) Gabe tells me I’m dependent on coffee because I always force him to try new coffee shops with me, when actually, I simply enjoy going out and spending money on something that makes me happy. Do I get headaches when I don’t drink coffee? Potentially. But don’t tell Gabe. Us coffee drinkers are part of a totally different universe, ya know?
If you find your kids or your family complaining about running out of Keurig cups, or needing more money for their Starbucks app, tell them it’s time to look in a new direction for coffee. What if I told you that you could make coffee at home, or in your dorm, for 1/4 of the cost and 99% better taste? As you’ll see above, I ordered a massive jug of Starbucks iced coffee for my little experiment this week. I wanted to see what the difference between iced coffee (that you can buy at the grocery store) is compared to homemade joe. Since I’ve never made iced coffee before, I had no clue what to expect. This type of coffee is specifically cold-brewed coffee, which starts at around $4 for a tall cup at Starbucks and goes upwards of $8 at “speciality” coffee stores for nitrogen coffee. All that came in my box from Civilized Coffeewas a bag of roasted/ground coffee beans, three filters, and a massive mason jar. Since mason jars are so in, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test this coffee out. I didn’t receive any directions in the package, so I googled “how to make cold-brewed coffee” and up came 100s of YouTube videos.
The steps are simple:
Decide how much coffee you want to make (the entire mason jar or half of it) and choose the large or small bag. Fill the bag with coffee until it’s fill, and place it inside the mason jar. From there, fill the mason jar with water and cover the lid. Place the jar in the fridge for 24 hours (that’s the amount of time that gave the coffee the perfect flavor) and you’re ready to enjoy!
Leave the coffee in the fridge for as long as you need, until you have to make more! I’d say one bag of the fresh coffee they send you would last for probably 10+ cups of coffee.
