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I went to the gym for the first time in a long time today. And when I got on the treadmill, I almost started crying. Things are heavy and it's hard to be a human right now, but I learned three things on that treadmill today that I think we should all remember in 2025.

Today I'm sharing all of the unsustainable things I did in the last week to remind you that true zero waste is not actually possible. I've been doing this for 6+ years and I still create waste! This is a shame-free space. It's about learning and making better choices when we can and where we can.

If we don’t talk about mental health, we keep the stigma alive. When we brush it under a rug and pretend it never happened, we aren’t helping anyone. So instead, I want to share with you - in complete vulnerability - what really happened in my world in the last 10 days as I battled my mental health as an entrepreneur.

Today, I want to tell you all about my favorite animal, the okapi. Because even though we're focused on waste and plastics around here most days, sometimes we could all use some cute animals and wildlife conservation in our lives. So what are okapi? And how can we protect them from home?

I went for a walk in nature today, friend. And I was reminded of some beautiful lessons we can all learn from nature.

This time has been hard. I won’t pretend it hasn’t. But, for me at least, it’s shown me what truly brings me joy, what brings value to my life, and what doesn’t. Even if I thought it did before.

Three summers ago, I embarked on a journey that would change my life. I had just started grad school, and was traveling to Baja, California for my first study abroad experience of the program. I reopened my Baja travel journal today, and I was reminded of the resilient mangroves.

This is Part 2 in the series reflecting on my journey to moving to the Pacific Northwest and opening my own zero waste shop. This week digs into business ownership and how I really feel about living in Tacoma.

 

I woke up this morning in a mood. It happens sometimes, you know? I just woke up and immediately was feeling kind of out of place, maybe a little sad for no reason, unmotivated. I suddenly remembered a Yoga Girl podcast about creating an Emergency Toolkit for Wellbeing for these moments. Today I'm making my own.

We’re about to get very real up in here.  I know that this post is going to be difficult for my parents, grandparents, and other family members to read, but I do feel that it is important to share these experiences, and have honest and raw conversations about mental health, and in this instance, how it relates to living zero waste.

Like many people, I carry all of my stress in my neck and shoulders. I decided I needed some way to ease the tension but I didn’t feel like spending the money on a heating pad - so instead I searched my apartment (and the bulk bins of my local grocery store).

When did being busy begin to equate being important or successful?  For so many of us, our automatic response to “How are you?” is “Busy.”  But why? Turns out, there’s actually some pretty solid science behind it, and it’s actually quite fascinating.  But it’s nonetheless worrisome....