The holiday season is officially upon us (still can’t believe this) and this year I want to celebrate the real stars IMO, small businesses! Sure, the big guys are great and you can support them too, but don’t forget about the small businesses not only today on #SmallBusinessSaturday but year-round! 

The ones who pour their hearts into each and every product they make or curate. The ones who often started by making products in their kitchens or who stayed up late packing orders. The ones who saved up to lease a storefront and have been willing to put it all on the line to chase their dreams. These are the true rockstars in my eyes and I can tell you firsthand that when you shop small you're truly supporting someone else's dream and that's pretty dang awesome.

So today on the blog I’m highlighting some of my personal fav small businesses + a few amazing clients we’ve also gotten the chance to support over the years at Bold & Pop! And spoiler, they have some amazing gift options for everyone on your shopping list so be sure to check them out and get your shop on!

Photo Courtesy of: @PinkLoverShop Instagram

Pink Lover

Kicking things off with a goodddd one, Pink Lover! If you know me, this one shouldn’t surprise you for a minute because I truly live by the motto everything is better when it’s pink! Katie, the founder truly embraces this motto too, so much so she decided to launch a shop dedicated to everything pink — tees, tanks, sweaters, mugs and much much more! And it is pink-mazing! P.S. if anyone needs a gift idea for yours truly I’ll take one of everything they offer 💖😉

Photo Courtesy of: @CompassRoseShop Instagram

Compass Rose

I stumbled upon Compass Rose this summer during a street fair in the Proctor District in Tacoma and it’s been one of my go-to places for gifts ever since! They have two locations, one here in Tacoma and then their original location in downtown Olympia and guys, if you’re local you HAVE to check them out. I’d describe them as a combo of Paper Source, Anthropologie, a little Williams and Sonoma and then an amazing collection of local PNW inspired or created flair. This store literally has something for everyone on your list in just about every price point. Plus they really take being a local business to heart by giving back 10% of their earnings to organizations focused on improving the community as well as some international organizations.

Photo Courtesy of: @SurpriseGiftCo Instagram

Surprise Gift Co.

I have lovedddd this company ever since being introduced to them when we worked together on their website design a few years ago. Lisa and Shannon, the Co-founders are the BOMB! They offer curated gift sets (plus some singles) for everyone in your life and make the whole process easy peasey. You can just feel the amount of thought and love that has been poured into all of these sets too! You pick the box, single or custom box and then they put it together and can send them directly to those on your list if you want. Which is perfectttt for clients, fam or friends that don’t live near. Of course, you can have everything sent to you too if you want but it’s awesome having options.

Photo Courtesy of: @HartsandPearls Instagram

Harts & Pearls

I discovered Harts & Pearls on Instagram and instantly fell in love with their account! They offer fashion forward accessories for women, children and babies and guys… they’re SO cute! I already have my eye on a few of their turban headwraps for a few people on my gift list this year. I also love that the company was founded by a single mom in the PNW too. Which on the note of being based in Washington, I should also mention they have some adorable Seahawks headbands too! Go Hawks! 💙💚

Photo Courtesy of: @KoketBoutiqueNC Instagram

Koket Boutique

Another one I’m SO excited about is Koket Boutique! We were lucky enough to work with Alexandra as well and I’m so excited to share that she recently expanded to her own location in addition to her online shop in Raleigh, NC! So def add this one to your list if you’re local to Raleigh too. What I love about her shop is she has suchhh a good mix of cute women’s clothing and accessories and they also won’t break the bank. Double score! Truly, I’d like my closet to just be filled with her inventory!

Photo Courtesy of: @Pacific_Knotwest Instagram

Pacific Knotwest

Pacific Knotwest is another business I learned about on Instagram (hey, it’s a good place to explore!) and I’m totally digging their style. Macrame is making waves again in home decor trends and I’m totally obsessed with the designs Pacific Knotwest has created. Everything from large wall hangings, to macrame mirrors, hanging nightstands, and ornaments. Seriously, go check out her shop rightttt now! The craftsmanship is incredible.

Photo Courtesy of: @BeanGoods Instagram

Beans Goods

WEENIE DOG everythingggg! Need I say more? Being a weenie dog fur mama myself, I understand how funny these little dogs are and I love what Bean Goods has done to showcase that. They offer hilarious and incredibly cleverly designed apparel for both humans and pups and if you have anyone on your gift list that is a weenie dog fan or has one, you need to pick them up something from this shop! I actually bought myself one of the “Crazy Wiener Dog Lady” shirts last year and it’s one of my favs! 🐶

Photo Courtesy of: @TaylorLeePaints Instagram

Taylor Lee Paints

If you’re looking for some beautiful artwork this holiday season then you HAVE to check out Taylor Lee. Taylor is another bold boss we had the chance to work with and not only is her work absolutely incredible, but she’s also doing her part to help us change the way we look at mental illness. Instead of shying away from the topic, Taylor has been very transparent about her bipolar disorder on her Instagram account. How it has affected her life and how she in turn uses it as her superpower when it comes to her artwork. Her bravery is truly blazing the trail for all of us which is something I totally admire, plus her talent is just beyond! I have one of her pieces in my office that she so kindly gifted us when we worked together and it’s one of my absolutely favorites.

Photo Courtesy of: @Little_Bipsy Instagram

Little Bipsy Collection

Inching up to my 30’s, tis the season for babies! Personally, I’m sticking with my fur baby, but my friends are starting to pop out babies on the regular and I’ve been on the hunt for some goods to spoil them and their new boo boos with! That’s where Little Bipsy comes in because they have goodies for both! They offer suchhh a great variety of clothes for babies including baby flannels and boss babe sweatshirts for the littles which I’m obsessed with. The future is female everyone! Plus they have some really fun (and funny) apparel for all of the mamas that I also can’t get enough of.

Photo Courtesy of: @RGBSoda Instagram

Rachel’s Ginger Beer

I went to an amazing networking event this month in Seattle where the founder Rachel spoke on a panel and I left just feeling so inspired. Rachel truly embodies the heart and soul of an entrepreneur doing everything it takes to bring their dream to life and I could not wait to actually try her products after. Spoiler, the ginger beer is a-freaking-mazing! Everything is handcrafted and you know they worked their booties off crafting each of the recipes until they were perfect. If you’re local to the PNW, they have locations around Seattle and Portland and then they also offer nationwide shipping. Perfect for those who just enjoy a solid ginger beer or for the cocktail master in your life! I love gifts like this for people who are tough to shop for too. You cannot go wrong with amazing foods or drink options IMO!

Photo Courtesy of: @WithWildHearts_Co Instagram

With Wild Hearts Co.

I’m rounding out the list with another PNW business, artist Amanda Meyer of With Wild Hearts Co.! It’s no secret that since I moved back to Washington, nature and all of our incredible views out here have captured me. Which is why I loveee Amanda’s work because her artwork is inspired by just that — the views in the PNW! Her paintings are not only gorgeous, but she also offers her artwork painted on wood, vinyls and even denim jackets. So gorgeous!

Well that’s a wrap for this edition. I hope you guys enjoyed my picks and cheers to shopping small this season!

In a lot of ways since moving back to Washington, I’ve had to rediscover who I am. There are a lot of things about me that are pretty concrete at this point, but where you live definitely has an impact on your day-to-day realities. Especially when you go from living in a concrete jungle to a small town (followed by a little bigger city) in Washington. Can you say culture shock?! As you’d expect, I experienced some pretty big lifestyle changes and with that, I’ve taken every opportunity to try a lot of new things — especially ones that weren’t options in NYC. While admittedly, I haven’t read Shonda Rhimes’ book, “Year of Yes” yet, I like to think I embraced her concept and have spent the year saying yes to more things. Saying yes to fun things, saying yes to new things and, frankly, saying yes to things that scare crap out of me.

I’m definitely not done with my mission yet, but want to know what I’ve learned so far? It turns out that a lot of things my inner voice had always said “weren’t my thing” or that “I couldn’t do” were often just self-limiting beliefs. I’ve learned that you are exactly what you tell yourself you are and if you’re not pushing those boundaries, you might be missing out on a hell of a lot in life.

I wasn’t a public speaker.

I wasn’t an outdoorsy person.

I wasn’t someone who does podcast interviews.

I wasn’t a girl who ran 5Ks.

I wasn’t someone who liked networking.

I wasn’t a girl who liked working out.

I wasn’t someone who could keep a houseplant alive to save my life.

I wasn’t someone who talks about feelings or talked about tough stuff publicly.

These were all things I told myself at some point and I made it a point this year to work on rewriting my inner narrative. I decided to stop playing it small and instead really put my all out there and try new things even if I ended up falling down or failing miserably.

So this year I…

Spoke on a panel about being an entrepreneur at a University of Oregon student and alumni event.

Bought all of the park permits, have hiked more miles than I can count and bought kayaks to explore the outdoors more.

Recorded my first podcast interview for Bold & Pop with my business partner.

Ran my first 5K race.

Joined several new networking groups and have gone to 3 local in-person events so far and (surprisingly loved each of them)

Finallyyyy figured out a workout plan I didn’t hate and starting hiking weekly and doing strength workouts.

Bought a ton of houseplants and joined a community garden. Take that brown thumb.

Decided to open up about my journey and be really transparent about personal development and the behind the scenes of being a business owner.

Proof of doing me doing some of those scary out of my comfort zone things

Now I’m not saying all of it has been easy or that I’ve loved everything I’ve tried to do but, regardless of the outcome, I made a decision to go for it. Am I going to start signing up for a bunch of 5Ks? Meh, probably not, that wasn’t one of my favorite things, but you know what? I did something I never thought I’d do and that’s what matters.

When it comes to growth, change or trying new things, we are often our biggest roadblocks. We get comfortable with life and hide behind our fears or our rationalizations that we’ll get to it one day. We tell ourselves that some things are just out of reach, we just don’t have what it takes or that we’ll have those opportunities in another phase of life, but I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. And if you wait too long, there’s a chance that day will never come.

So how about today you decide to stop playing a supporting role in your own life and just decide to go for it? What’s the worst thing that can happen? Will you get to do everythingggg all at once? Of course not, but if you have a big ol’ goal, now is the time to start working on the little goals that will get you there. Now is the time to create opportunities for yourself. Now is the time to make plans. Now is the time to put yourself out there and get some practice being uncomfortable. Because it’s usually that uncomfortable stuff, the stuff that scares the crap out of you, that you come out on the other side feeling exhilarated saying, “I’m so glad I did that”. You might not crush every single thing but I promise you’ll learn a whole lot of lessons along the way and that my friend is pure gold.

We are who we say we are and I don’t know about you but I want to be all all-around go-getting bold badass and I want you to live up to your full potential too.

I’ll be honest, for most of the last year I’ve been completely avoiding my blog. With the exception of a few posts here or there, it’s been a ghost town over here and it’s not exactly for the lack of post inspiration either. I’ve started writing and quickly abandoned more than a dozen posts and various versions of each. It hasn’t just been my blog either. There have been months I’ve hardly posted on social media, which I get sounds kind of dramatic, but for someone who works in social media that is just notttt my norm! I've told myself it was for a number of reasons.. from being so busy actually living my life to being in the middle of rebranding and repositioning my content.. and while I'll admit those are semi-legit reasons, it's been more than that. The truth is blogging just hasn't felt good to me for a bit and I just needed some time to myself.

I’ll be frank. This last year has been really tough for me emotionally and I think for once I really just needed some time to process things and start a new chapter on my own, without the world watching. As a whole, my life really took a 180 when I moved back to Washington. With a few exceptions, my life today is hardly recognizable from this time last year and while there have certainly been good and bad things about that, it’s been a lot to processss. All you can really do is put one foot in front of the other though and now that a full year has passed, I’ve decided it’s finalllyyy time to really move forward in all parts of my life – including my blog.

So it's time to come out of the shadows, make my mess my message and continue to move forward. Because while it’s definitely been a tough year in a lot of ways, it hasn’t been all gloom and doom over here. There have been SO many really awesome things that have come out of moving back west and I want to be able to share all of that with you guys again. I don't believe in giving up on things you love and while I definitely needed the break, it's time to get back to chasing my goals. Before I get back to my {new} mostly happy regular programming though, I want to take a post to run through some of the big lessons I've learned during this time. Maybe it will help someone else who's going through some big changes -- maybe not -- but before I think I'll be reallyyyy be ready to move forward on my blog I just need to get some of this off my chest.

It's okay if leaving is harder than you thought it'd be

Healing from a long-term breakup has been hard enough, but leaving NYC ended up being a hell of a lot harder than I thought it would be. Not just because it's a pretty cool city either, but because everything about it reminded me of some kind of memory. I may not be a mush when it comes to relationships but holy crap am I even more sentimental than I thought I was. Granted, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve gone through a change this BIG but this one hit me hard.

It seemed impossible (and still does in many ways) to escape NYC. Between my blog being a full archive of my adventures in the city… to the email invites for events… heck I can’t even turn on the TV or watch a movie without being slapped in the face with a glaring reminder of what I left behind. Which is slightly ironic because I spent years complaining about the weather and various other things while I actually lived there, and truly didn't think I'd miss it as much as I have. I used to joke to my friends that the whole world does not revolve around NYC, but after leaving it has sureeee felt that way. In many ways, it has felt inescapable and that’s been tough for so many reasons.

I may have always daydreamed about moving back to Washington, but the truth is I never really thought it would happen. First I stayed for my career and the opportunities the city presented… then I added in some really awesome friends that made it hard to even consider leaving… and then it was my relationship that really sealed the deal for me. And even though I often had a love/hate relationship with the city, I truly didn’t see myself leaving. I had built a life there and the only future I envisioned was one with me there. So when that all came crashing down pretty much out of the blue, it left me feeling pretty lost in a lot of ways.

In reality, it probably wouldn't have mattered where I was living either... moving on is usually tough wherever you are because the memories you have can become trigger points to making you upset. When your trigger becomes NYC though... Dang has it been a doozy. It's easy to daydream about what life could be like if you make a change but often that daydream is just that.. daydream. Sometimes the reality is a lot tougher than you imagined it would be, and there's nothing wrong with that... but a lot of people stay in situations because they're afraid of that transition and becoming uncomfortable and I don't think you should do that. By coming to terms with the fact that things are going to be tough for a bit, you can really own the situation which can help you a lot along your journey.

You can kick breakup rules to the curb

Moving on is a process and sorting out transitions is hard. I feel like these days, people just delete photos on their social media platforms and pretend like their pasts didn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, I get why people do it, but I didn’t want to do that. I had a really great relationship and chapter of my life and deleting some photos online wasn’t going to lessen the pain of that ending. Granted, I can’t say I would feel the same way if our relationship had ended poorly, but it didn’t and when we said we wanted to stay in touch, we meant it. I’m not saying it’s been easy... but at the same time knowing we broke up because we both needed something else allowed us a little more closure in the relationship, which has been a painful blessing in keeping things cordial. 

I've always marched to the beat of my own drum, but my advice is to do what feels right. It's not always the easiest and not everyone is going to get it, but at the end of the day it's your life. I always say, it's only weird if you make it weird. And {unpopular} opinion here, but I think it's fine to stay in touch with exes even when you move onto new relationships. You're not together for a reason (sometimes several) so that never really bothered me much. Maybe you won't be bffs but if you guys want to casually text here or there, stay in touch with your families or stay Facebook friends... why not? When you're in a long-term relationship so many parts of your lives become intertwined and personally I think as long as you both have mutual understandings for what is okay then I don't think it's a big deal. Like I said, it isn't for everyone but personally, I think breakup rules are silly. #IDoWhatIWant

Which on the note of this subject, can I please give a shout-out to all of my friends who have survived getting divorced or are co-parenting..? Because let's be real.. breaking up with a dog was terrible for me, so I give madddd props to all of you who somehow do your best to find terms that work. 

You can be excited about your next chapter and still be sad about the ending of your last

When you close one chapter, it can be so easy to dwell and go over the “what ifs” and the “did I make the right decision?” Like I said, moving on is a process and it’s an up and downhill battle. Some days will be better than others and that’s okay. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that it's ok to be excited about your new chapter while still being sad about the ending of your last. A lot of people may disagree with that but hear me out.

We love to throw around the phrase, “time cures all wounds” and while it definitely helps, there are some things that are probably going to always hurt when you look back on them – and that’s alright. I think moving on is more about accepting things and making a conscious effort to move forward more than anything. You can read a million different articles on how long experts say it takes to get over things and move on, but personally, I think it’s crap. Everyone is different, but in my experience, I’ve never just woken up one day and been like, ah ha, I’m finally over it and ready for something new. Instead, I think moving on it more about making a choice to open yourself up to what life can offer instead of staying closed off. Do I recommend giving yourself some time to sort through things? Of course, but life doesn't always happen on your timeline so I think it's important to know you can move on while you're going throughhhh it. 

It’s been a year and I stillll have days I’m sad about things, but I also have so many new things to be excited about in my new chapter. I'm living in a new city... I'm going on new adventures... and I'm dating someone new... my business is crushing it... it's a lot of NEW and things that I am genuinely excited about. It may sound like a contradiction but having this realization has really helped me move forward. I think the key is to make sure you’re still moving forward and not just reliving your past during these moments. That’s where people get stuck. And to do that you need to keep showing up in your life and being honest with yourself. Will you need your alone time? Ab-so-freaking- lutely but you cannot put your life on hold just because you might not think you're ready. Accept invites, try new things, and give 100% of what you have each day. Some days your 100% may only be 40% but you have to keep putting one foot in front of another. Because when you do so, amazing things will happen. Little by little you’ll start to feel like yourself again and you’ll actually start to get excited about this new chapter and the possibilities you have.

Stay true to yourself, because you can’t please everyone

Another important lesson I've learned is to stay true to yourself. Truthfully one of the big reasons I decided to put my blog on hold is because I just couldn't find the right words to say for myself or others. Most of my other life transitions have been independent decisions I've made, but I took this one extra hard because I felt like I had failed others and that killeddd me inside. It turns out on top of being really sentimental, I'm also overly sensitive to other people's feelings and I just really didn't want to hurt anyone during this time. Because even though emotionally this transition has been tough, I also have a lot of really great things going for me and I've felt a lot of guilt around some of that happiness. Deep down I know that I shouldn't, but it's been an ongoing inner battle and hence why you haven't seen much of me over here.

On one side, I've felt like if I shared too much of the good on here I'd hurt those left behind and paint this picture that moving on has been so easy for me (not true), but then if I talked about too much of the struggles I've gone through I'd hurt those in my life currently. Social media and blogs are such a highlight reel of life and I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but it also just complicates things in situations like this. Talk about a tug-of-war of emotions! I knew I just couldn't win either way, so I just avoided it all together and tried to just focus on my own healing in the meantime.

What I learned was that you're never going to please everyone. Either you're trying too hard... or moving on too quickly... or too emotional... or not moving on at fast enough. No matter what you do, it's going to be interpreted different ways. I feel like I've been under a microscope and what I've realized is that as long as my intent is good, then I'm on the right path. Plus, deep down I realized that those who know me, know I would never do or post anything trying to hurt someone's feelings and that I'm just trying to continue living my life. It's been a year-long realization but a necessary one at that.

Self-care is a necessity not an option

Bouncing back can be tough.. I am totally guilty of throwing myself into a ton of different things to just keep my mind off things –- especially when I moved back. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I think staying busy was something that kept me sane in that initial time period. That being said though, make sure you also give yourself time to clear your head and recharge. Trying to put the pieces back together can be exhausting and if you run yourself down then you're going to have other issues. So be sure to take time for yourself.

I'm not talking about taking bubble baths and face masks either... I mean unless that's your thing. The term self-care has been glamorized as of recent and I think it's important to remember the true meaning. To me, self-care piggybacks off of self-development and is about being able to just be unapologetic about your thoughts -- to work things out in your mind with no distractions. It's about having those realizations so that you can actually do the self-development work. That probably means a little something different to everyone too but it's all about re-centering yourself.

For me, hiking has been my biggest outlet. I've talked about it before, but there's something therapeutic about busting my butt to make it to the top of a mountain and it's been where I've done some of my clearest thinking. Another is writing, aka hiii you're in the middle of one of my self-care activities right now. Verbally, I don't always know what to say but there's something about writing out my thoughts that has always been freeing. Even if it's only for me to read. Find what works for you and make time for it because it will be essential to your healing process.

Self-development is HARD work

Looking inside at the things you like and don’t like about yourself is tough, but for me to truly move forward I really had to take a hard look at what happened, where I was wrong, what I could learn and what I needed in the future. This one is hard because you can easily find yourself going down the road of, “ I should have done this…” or “what if I had just said that” and that won't help you move forward.

It's about stepping outside of the situation and looking at things objectively without the emotions. Emotions are so messyyyy and sometimes you can't totally see the whole picture until you're looking at it in your rearview mirror. Hindsight is 20/20 right?! It's hard but I've tried to dwell less and focus more on the things that I can change about myself, and boy is it tough work. I cannot stress the importance of doing the work though because the only way to move forward is to learn from those mistakes. By no means am I perfect, but I'm a work in progress and I'm happy with the advancements I've made.

I've learned a lot in the last year and one thing stands out. Life is messy. Moving on with a new chapter is messy. All of the emotions involved with moving on with that new chapter is SUPER messy. It's all just a freaking big ol' mess sometimes! But I want to be the one to tell you that starting over can be hard, overwhelming, and downright sad sometimes but that you WILL make it to the other side. And that the feelings you are feeling are valid, no matter what they are or how long it has been. That you don't need to feel guilty about where you are in your journey. Because spoiler alert, the people who really matter will be understanding of the situation you're going through and only want the best for you -- no matter what that is. 

More than anything, I want to take this experience and come out on the other end better because of it. Not only for myself but also for other people who are smack dab in the middle of a similar situation and could benefit from talking about it. Because let's be real, noooo one wants to talk about this kind of stuff. Hiiii I've written at least 6 drafts of this post because this stuff is TOUGH for me to write and talk about it, but I needed to, and by doing so I hope it can inspire others to face this stuff heads on themselves. It won't be easy, but as long as you're learning along the way and moving forward you will get through it.

One year down and a lot of work to continue on. It's time to move forward.