My Post-Corporate-America Daydream

What’s up from week FOUR of my Post-Corporate-America daydream! 

Life feels simply magical right now, and I’m really just checking in to say hello. I’m savoring this sweet bubble of time and trying to be as present as possible. Spring has finally arrived, I’m done with my first few Brightsiding workshops (I hosted an INCREDIBLY special one this week for a team at Google about reconnecting to magic), and now I plan on TAKING A BREATHER. 

I so deeply identify with being ON and having something to show for it, so what does taking a breather even mean for me? First and foremost, it means getting my mind and body right.

I’ll still be writing and podcasting, but mostly for the next few months I plan on doing LESS and clearing space for a really fabulous 30th birthday season (you heard me, SEASON) and an abundant fall. 

Last fall, my brother and I listened to Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey as we were driving to our Grandpa’s funeral (a weirdly fitting choice?) - and a chapter that really stuck out to me was the one where he reflected on the period of time between his RomCom era and his Serious-Actor era. I loved his perspective - he approached that hiatus with reverence and trust - and look! He won a fucking Oscar. Like, okay, Matthew. I’m keeping his wisdom close as I allow myself to rest and bring my fullest, healthiest, best self to Brightsiding.

This is going to mean focusing on my health in a big way. Something I was struggling with towards the end of my time at Google was nutrition and general mind-body connection, so I’m extremely focused on eating well, exercising, actually DOING my skincare routine, etc. I’ve been back on my Melissa Wood Health grind for the past few weeks and already feeling such a shift, which is encouraging. I’ve also been really into sampling every healthy snack at my local grocery store, and I recently became OBSESSED with the Iwon Organics protein chips, which seemed to sell out just as soon as I discovered them. If you see them, TRY THEM!!! Sour Cream & Onion Pringles dupe of my GD dreams.

The other thing I’ll be channeling any lingering girlboss energy to is redoing my PATIO! One thing about me is that I love a design challenge, so I’m STOKED to turn on my inner Facebook Marketplace slaystress and find some cool sh*t. Stay tuned and send me any listings that feel bogs-core! And then come over for a Tuna Melt!

I’ve also been prioritizing my social life and making time to sign up & go to things that feel interesting to me. Here’s a roundup of some highlights from lately:

• Last Friday, Holly and I went to see a midnight showing of Interview with the Vampire at Nighthawk in Williamsburg. As a self-identifying TwiHard, I felt like I had to see the “OG vampire movie”, and holy shit it was a RIDE. We also realized we are way too old for midnight movies. But I didn’t have a panic attack, so a win is a win!

• Colleen and I went to see Greta Titleman’s The Gift, Part 3 at The Bell House last night and I was CRY-ING laughing. I used to be a big fan of the podcast Lady Lovin’, so this brought me back to 2017 (in a good way).

• I recently got a Canon R8 which has been VERY fun to play around with. I’m watching LOTS of YouTube videos and enjoying taking camera walks as I learn how to use it.

• My best friends got me a DJ lesson for my birthday last year, and I finally took the class last week. WATCH OUT WORLD, new personality loading … my goal is to DJ my 30th birthday party.

• On Thursday I was lucky enough to help celebrate the launch of Pike, an app that’s redefining experience discovery (think, your best Google Maps roundup meets Airbnb Experiences). If you’ve ever created a Google map of your favorite spots, or constantly feel like you’re searching for fresh recommendations in your city — DOWNLOAD THIS RIGHT NOW!!! It’s seriously epic. HUGE (!) congrats to my friend Brandon who’s put so much heart into this over the past year. 

• Another major highlight was a female-founders panel at Salon 21 last week. It was so inspiring to hear from some women I’ve admired for a long time (like Abigail from Abbode, and Katherine from Big Night) and learn about new-to-me brands like Harlem Champagne, . I even made a new friend who has a really fun jewelry brand - everyone check out Annika if you need a last-minute Mother’s Day gift! 

• Lastly, I’ve been back into SkyTing in a big way. They just opened their new space in NoHo (across from my personal Disney Land, REI) — and it’s sublime. If anyone in NYC wants to hit a class together soon, let me know! 

I hope you have a beautiful gorgeous amazing weekend.

To everyone who’s reached out and asked how I’m feeling about the Justin & Hailey pregnancy announcement, thank you for seeing me. I’m SO HAPPY for them!!!

And to everyone who has emailed me after the past couple of Brightsides, I JUST realized that messages have been going to my Spam folder, so if I owe you a response, it’s coming and I am so sorry for the delay!!! Thank you for hyping me up!!!

Lots of love - catch you next time,

Bogs