During the holiday season, I often find myself on the hunt for inspiration and comfort more than ever. I am no Oprah, but if I were, here's what would be on my Favorite Things list. Some of them are my tried and trued go-to's, while others are new obsessions.
Food & Drink
Tazo Sweet Cinnamon Spice Tea. I am obsessed! This is the best tea ever, caffeine-free and perfect for cozying up with your favorite book.
The hot chocolate at Blue Surf Cafe (a Wilmington-must)—don’t say no to the huge toasted marshmallows. I recommend the Salted Caramel... It will make you swoon.
The Ghostbuster Grilled Cheese from Crust, with their tomato soup (more Wilmington food). It is the perfect stop for a yummy meal when you are downtown, and their imaginative grilled cheeses are to die for.
Sargento Snacks. I love all their flavors and keep them stocked in the fridge at the office, and at home, so I can avoid any of those nasty low blood sugar meltdowns. I really like the one with chocolate, little graham cracker pieces, and cheese. Have I said how much I like cheese yet? I feel like this little girl.
Invest in Yourself
My Maya Brenner necklace I bought for myself for Mother’s Day. It has the tiny letters “A” and “O” for my husband and son. I treasure it and I never take it off.
MAC’s Lovelorn Lipstick with the SOAR lip pencil—the prettiest pink combo that goes with everything (and because it has blue undertones, it will really make your eyes sparkle)!
Unicorn Flannel PJs from Target (and I didn’t even realize until I Googled them that they are a “mommy and me matching set,” so buy them for your little girls if you have them...so fun). I LOVE flannel PJs and have too many pairs to even really wear. I also love matching sets from the Gap. PJ Junkie tip: Always size up, you never want a flannel PJ to be tight!
Farmgirl Flowers. This is my go-to flower ordering choice, and I am always blown away by the quality, how long they last, and their uniqueness. I LOVE flowers, so I try and save up and order them for special milestones or occasions.
Listen
I LOVED “A Deeper Understanding” by the War on Drugs. The new album is so good—every song, the lyrics, the melody—it is sublime.
Maggie Rogers is a name you to remember if you don’t know it already. She is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter who is refreshingly humble, mostly makeup free, and deeply rooted in folk music. Listen to her music or watch the video when she was discovered by Pharrell.
Masters of Scale podcast by Reid Hoffman. It is literally the best, most helpful podcast ever, and it is free! It has changed my life and my businesses, I highly recommend it.
My top two episodes:
Business & Productivity
Linktree for Instagram. This is free, but if you need to link to multiple websites in your Instagram bio, instead just one, it is perfect. Thanks to Drewe from Drewe and Kate for the heads up on this!
And of course books...oh the books! The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk changed my life as I started on a real health and wellness journey. If you have been through trauma or grieving or loss, you need to read this book. I also fell in love with Brendon Burchard’s book High-Performance Habits and made my whole team at Lanier Property Group read it last January and then brought it to the Inspi Lab for our book club this winter/spring. That book is amazing and very easy to apply.
Of course, I couldn’t leave off the Banner Year Blueprint workbook we just sent out to all our attendees for our event on January 5th. I am already working on my answers and prepping for our workshop on January 5th (in person) and January 6th (online). I hope you will join us by becoming a member (if you aren’t one) and then registering for a day of real inspiration to kick your year into gear.
Finally, I hope The Inspiration Lab lands on your 2018 and 2019 favorite things list because you, our members and followers, are our #1 favorite thing from this year. You are the heart of all we do, and we can’t wait to keep creating things for you and helping you build friendships to last a lifetime.