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Where I’m spending most of my days for the foreseeable future...finishing up the cookbook I’ve dreamed of writing for 7 years: the Local Milk cookbook | Eat More Magic 🍳 It’s so hard to be cooking hundreds of recipes & unable to share them! I’ve not quite figured that one out! But rest assured this kitchen has seen a lot of action! 👩🏻🍳 Before anything, I was a cook and a writer. By which I mean I was one who cooked and wrote, not that I had any official credentials. Food was always the ultimate metaphor. The humble art of living. Magic that converts sun & earth to the energy to love, work, create. 🍜 Cooking a meal is a sand mandala. Though, obviously, not as grand. It’s a beautiful, if humble, work of art destined to disappear. It’s a moment of joy, connection, and sustenance. And that is why I love to cook. I love to pour myself into a meal that I know will soon me nothing but the odd wine stain and crumbs on the table cloth. 🌈 Today I’m playing with some beautiful, rainbow colored coconut butters, organizing my props (sooo many props!), and shooting a handful of recipes (breakfast Mezze Bowl!) for the book with my trusty team, @matthewlud & Eulalie. #localmilkcookbook #eatmoremagic
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Hey! My inbox is exploding with DM’s of people in a panic because they lost hundreds or thousands of followers over night. But I’m here to tell you why you don’t need to worry! ✨ We don’t know exactly what it is. Some people are saying it’s a bug and others are saying it’s another purge of dormant, spam, and fake accounts. So...why not worry? ✨ Because if it’s a bug (which they seemed to confirm it is) it will resolve. @Instagram tweeted 5 hours ago that they are “working to resolve this as quickly as possible”. And if it’s just a purge of people/robots/ghosts who would have never engaged anyway...this is a good thing! So many people get wrapped up in sheer volume that they forget what matters isn’t the number by your name but the impact that you make on the people listening! And you can’t impact people that don’t exist! ✨ The point of social media isn’t to win a popularity contest! For some of us it’s to create & connect with a like-minded community. For some of us it’s to make an impact and fight for change we believe in. For others we’re here to make a living doing something we love. And for some of us 🙋🏻♀️ it’s all of the above!! ☕️ So if you had a mini panic over your morning cup, I just wanted to let you know it isn’t all about follower count. And it doesn’t automatically = more money, more happiness, or more success by any standard. You can be happy, fulfilled, make an impact, and an income with few followers. And you can, conversely, still be broke and/or unfulfilled with a ton! ✨ What are you on social media for? Because for me it’s the real relationships with *real people*, the creative opportunities, and the ability to make a living as a crazy (uh, literally 😅) creative multi-passionate entrepreneur! Now excuse me while I return to the kitchen for the last of winter baking, a few cookbook recipe tweaks, and soaking up being home! #livemoremagic
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I get a lot of DM’s asking me how I “do it all”, and the secret is....I don’t do it all! But I DO have a secret to more productive, mindful days: My 8 Slow Morning Rituals. Grab them for free via the link in my profile! Updated for 2019! ☀️ Over the years, especially as my business & family have grown, I’ve become very intentional about carving out some sacred AM space because I’ve long known that top performers in myriad fields swear by one thing: a morning routine. 🌙 As a night owl that’s never been a huge fan of morning, I had to do some work to make the change (having a baby helps!), and I can say that really committing to doing this routine sets a centered, calm tone for the day. ☕️ I’m a huge fan of @timferriss—he’s long been an inspiration as someone who’s overcome some dark days to go on to do great things—my rituals are a slowed down, “Local Milkified” version of what I learned from him. 💪🏻 And remember progress not perfection! Even if you only do one of the rituals you’re in a better place than zero! I certainly don’t make it through all 8 every single day. But I always try. Because bottom line: Starting your days strong whether you’re on the road or at home is key to making headway on your big dreams and goals. Do you have any indispensable morning rituals? Let me know in the comments! And don’t forget that you can steal my routine for success for free via the link in profile! 😘 #morningslikethese #livemoremagic
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I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... so many have you have commented & DM’ed that you want to see more of “real life” (I suppose it’s all real life but I get what you’re saying!) ☕️ You want more than the 1/125 of a second where I managed a decent smile over my avo toast & cappuccino at a Parisian cafe (represent @fragmentsparis!)...you want more of the mess and the mundane and the struggle. 🤔 But here’s my question: at what point does sharing the “mess” become complaining & self indulgent? At what point does broadcasting your every moment become narcissistic? And even unhealthy? What do we keep for ourselves? How do we choose? 🤷🏻♀️ My two cents? We can let our heart choose. I’m more than happy to share more behind the scenes in stories and in my captions. That feels well with my soul. I’ll be keeping my photos purty cause that’s my craft & what I love to do. And don’t count on any crying Eula videos because I can’t think of anything crappier to do to her than point a camera in her face when she’s sad. 😅 And a disclaimer as I embark on the journey of sharing a little more: whatever I share, don’t ever think I’m complaining or think any of it is special. It’s precisely because I don’t find our normal to be noteworthy that I don’t share much of it. I share the things I work hard to create to inspire, entertain, and educate. Not my laundry. 🧺 Because I pretty much assumed it goes without saying that everyone has dirty laundry (literal and figurative!) My normal is (mostly) like everyone elses: dirty dishes, bad hair days, screaming toddler, tech fails. Lots of time behind a screen for work. Lots. But also sweet cuddles, toddler giggles, meals together, and exploring life as a family. We may do our normal on the road a lot, but it’s still pretty dang normal! And one last disclaimer: if and when it isn’t “relatable” I hope it’s at least inspiring! For better and worse...this is the life we chose & built! ✨ Head to my stories to start getting a daily dose of my reality! What do you think about sharing more “behind the scenes”? 📷 @matthewlud #livemoremagic
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I need advice. It feels so freaking narcissistic to always show up here and be like “things I think! Here!”. Because the truth is... 🤔 I do NOT have it all figured out. Business? Not too shabby. Marketing? I got you. Photography & styling? Girl, please! But then there are the things that still stump me. Like what can I do for you? What do you actually want? Every second you spend reading my long 🍑 captions is precious and I really want to know... how can I serve you better? I don’t want to waste your time. 🙇🏻♀️ I don’t know everything. When Matt & I fight, I call my mom. When my baby cries, sometimes I cry too. But I’ve got a little to give from what I’ve learned along the way, and I want to show up in a way that isn’t a waste of your precious time. So tell me...what do you want to see here? Cause you’re the reason I’m here. I don’t show up because I think I’m interesting or some guru. I’m just a Tennessee girl with a camera & a cell phone and a hard knocks past that isn’t miserable anymore. It isn’t all ☀️ 🌈 🦄 but there’s a helluva lot more than there used to be! So! What can I do ya for? #livemoremagic
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If we were to meet for brunch, these would be the sort of things we would talk about... ☕️ We would talk about business. You can hardly shut me up about it. I’d probably ask you if you had an email list in the first five minutes. By the end I’d be drafting up your new business plan on a napkin. Ask my friends. Seriously. I can’t help myself. 🤓 We’d talk about dreams. About travel & hypothetical real estate. The places we want to eat & the experiences we want to have. But also how we want to change the world. About making it a safer place to be human. To be different. About how we can use whatever skills or blessings—big and small—we have to lift up people less fortunate, those marginalized, silenced, and in need. 🙇🏻♀️ And we’d talk about the hard stuff. The things that made us real like the velveteen rabbit. I don’t do small talk. I talk shop, or I talk heart. I’d listen to your story, and I would tell you mine. And I would share that it isn’t a linear path. That I didn’t “get all better”. But I did get better. Some days, I look worse. And when big waves hit me, they knock me down just like anyone else. I would share about all the people over the past 35 years that have helped me. The therapists that believed in me. My family. The doctors who worked out the right meds & treatments. The mentors who lit my path. The friends who pick up the phone. The man on the other end of the Good Samaritan suicide hotline that one night so long ago. Because I did NOT bootstrap this. And I didn’t do it by thinking happy thoughts. I did it through getting help when I needed it. For those of you out there that might be in hard times or dark places, I want to encourage you to get the help you need whatever that looks like. ✨ I know that can be the hardest thing to do. But none of us can do it alone. Friends, family, therapists, doctors, treatment facilities, hotlines, and medication have ALL been a part of my journey. As have health & mindset changes. It takes a village. You aren’t weak when you get help. You’re wise. And you aren’t weak when you fall again. That doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It just means you’re human like the rest of us. #livemoremagic
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I have a confession to make. Maybe too many. But here goes... 〰️ TRIGGER WARNING: TMI BELOW 〰️ Here’s the truth: by nature I’m a crazy perfectionist. Anxiety to the point of paralysis. I’m bipolar. Twice married, once divorced. I was an addict. I’ve had an eating disorder. I was a cutter for years. I still have the scars. I’m a high school drop out. A college drop out. I did a brief stint as a stripper in New Orleans almost 20 years ago. I’ve had an abortion. I’ve had a miscarriage. I’ve given birth naturally at home. I am certainly not a perfect mother. Or woman. ✨ But that isn’t the confession! If you’ve hung around here or the @rawmilkpodcast long enough, you probably know most of that already. Those aren’t my secrets! My secrets are life giving. They’re what allowed me to overcome all that pain, fear, and shame seven years ago to build the life I have today. And this is what they are: 1️⃣ If it doesn’t have meaning I can give it meaning. We are the creators. We are meaning makers. 2️⃣ I cannot choose everything. But as long I as I have breath I can choose to get back up. No matter how long I might need to lay down. And the world will always be waiting. 3️⃣ When you stop looking at all those things about you as unloveable, broken, dark, and wrong and love yourself as you were, are, and will be you will overflow with an abundance that can move mountains, heal wounds, and resurrect. Yourself and others. 😂 I love to share my story. It makes me laugh. Why? Because I know for every hard thing about me there are thousands of you out there with the same problems. And because when I share people who thought *they* were too messed up are like “dayyyyum, girl...I guess I’m a’ight!” 🕯 And here’s the last bit: some days, many days, I’m a hot mess. I screw up. I fall down. What changed? Now I get back up so much faster because I don’t hate myself for it. You have this power too. You are exactly as you should be. A unicorn never regrets! And you, my friend, are a🦄! If you know someone who needs to hear this or you just want to let them know what magic they are to you...tag them below! None of us is perfect and none are alone! #livemoremagic
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Back when I started the #theartofslowliving hashtag my life looked a lot like this...On the outside. (👋🏻 @verdenius in @signebay’s dreamy studio!) ✨ But behind the scenes were swollen ankles from long hours cooking, washing dishes, setting tables, and hauling, packing & unpacking props, ingredients, and dishes. Late nights spent editing and posting to my blog & social media. Days devoted to making everything from scratch from kombucha to butter to bread. Non-stop weeks putting on retreats & long table dinners and driving all night to speaking engagements. 🌾 And I loved it. I was living my dream. My first retreat—endless days of prep & planning—and long days from 5 AM to 11 PM of nonstop labor for 6 days straight left me with a little less than $2000 in my pocket. And that was ALL I had! And it was such a triumph. Because this was a business built, like my bread & kombucha, from scratch. And from my first $20 for a photo, I’ve savored every bite. ✨ Some people cringe at business talk. The mention of money. Some say “eww” at the mention of entrepreneur masterminds. Or creative biz podcasts. Or social media marketing courses. Or email list building. Some say that running a business and slow living are mutually exclusive. But I know that all those things are what helped me get where I am. So I teach and talk. And I know you can work hard and live slow. ✨ And I want to show up here for YOU. The ones bonkers enough (represent!) to work hard, live slow, and dream big. Let your doubters doubt, your haters hate, and your ainters ain’t. ✨ Because I’m going to be honest about what it really takes to make these rectangles reality. The sacrifices & nuts and bolts. And also alllll the reality outside these rectangles (a LOT of copywriting y’all...a lot). My pictures may be pretty (it’s my art!), but I want to keep my copy real. Because I know that anyone reading this who wants it and is willing to work for it can get it. Whatever it is. Whether it’s private jets and poppin’ bottles or your little cottage with a vegetable garden and friendly cat. And I’m not here to judge your dreams: just to cheer you on whatever they are!#livemoremagic #localmilkretreat
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Happy Monday! Here’s what the Kirbwikowski clan (what @matthewlud & I jokingly call our combined last names!) is up to... ❄️ Saying goodbye to snow and @beavercreek (not without a misty tear...it’s my happy place 😿) and headed to St. Louis to celebrate @matthewlud’s birthday! Wish him a happy birthday! He’s an old man now! 🍻 I’ve never been to St. Louis & know nothing about about it! I’ll be working 90% of the time...but if you have recommendations for eats, drinks, photos, etc...let me know in the comments! ✨ So we’re on the road again (lost keys, lost passport, lost drivers license not withstanding...) and toddler in tow living the silly digital nomad dream. 😬 Remember: every dream comes with its realities! It’s all about what’s worth it for you. And as they say the entrepreneur is someone willing to work 80 hours a week for themselves to avoid working 40 for someone else! 😅 #livemoremagic
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The fierce felines of @riadberbere. As we close the chapter on our work hard, play hard ski holiday in Colorado (we leave tomorrow...so sad!) I’m comforting myself with dreams & plans of future adventures. ✨ From @emma_louise_sophia & my Marrakech Slow Escape (our guests will be staying here!) to @thedenizenco & my Wabi Sabi Japan Retreats...there’s so much to look forward to. We might even get to do some spring skiing in Hokkaido! ✨ I don’t know what the future of LM Retreats looks like in 2020 though. I’m keen to lead a mastermind next year, as I finally feel like I’m in a place where I could help a group of ambitious high achievers reach the next level in online business. But it’s a huge responsibility! And so I debate! ✨ I dream of leading a group of awesome entrepreneurs to retreats all over the world for high level workshops, mindset shifting experiences, and community & friendship that lifts all. ✨ To gauge interest, if you have a business currently generating six figure revenue, email
[email protected]
and let us know! Just want to see how many souls out there are interested! Because we’ll have to start planning this year to execute it to our high standard of excellence! Give us a shout to help me make up my mind and let me know in the comments what your dream mastermind would look like. #livemoremagic #localmilkretreat
