Age: 28
Relationship Status: in a relationship
Occupation: Nutritional Psychology coach, barista, Photographer & Poet
Income: $2,500 monthly
Astrological Sign: Cancer sun, Virgo moon and rising. I have 6 Gemini placements though, all in 10H. I’ve been told I resemble a Gemini more than a cancer (haha).
What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
I usually spring right out of bed. My body is its own alarm, so regardless of how much sleep I get, I’m up between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. My skincare routine and all other hygiene activities are the first go-to’s, followed by coffee.
Have you ever felt genuine fulfillment? When?
I have, multiple times. A lot of it comes from my photography. I don’t opt into traditional posed portraits. I love catching people off guard and in a natural state. A lot of people I’ve worked with feel uncomfortable behind the camera, so I capture those awkward moments also to show them how unbelievably gorgeous they are from an outsider's perspective. I also feel fulfilled when I can provide and care for others, even those I do not know, when I can take care of my plants and watch them thrive. When I hear a new song that gives me goosebumps and makes the hairs on my neck stand. When I smell salt in the air because I’m near the ocean. So many things bring me fulfillment every day.
What is your most repetitive, negative thought?
That I’m not pretty enough, or smart enough. Also, the idea of death, I think about it constantly. My brain can’t fathom the idea that this all will cease to exist.
What is your most repetitive, positive thought?
That I get to experience life! I can pick what career I want and still make time for my hobbies.
What is one thing that surprised you about adulthood?
The fact that some people are still those mean girls I would hide from in high school. I grew up thinking that would all fade away with age. It shocked me genuinely when I reached 25 and was working with women 20+ years older than me who made it a point to bully me. I really thought we’d all band together at a certain point and leave the nastiness behind.
What are three things you want to put every woman onto?
Sunscreen. You don’t realize till you’re older just how important it is! Wear it. Embrace it. Love it.
Yoga. 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes before bed. The benefits are so amazing. It’ll change your life.
Smiling even when you aren’t happy. Forcing a smile for 5 minutes will literally flip your mood. I promise.
Rank the following from most to least important:
money, food, sex, love, and laughter (feel free to explain or don’t).
Laughter. Laughter is by far the most important. Most people don’t know that that something as simple as laughing can add time to your life. Scientific studies have shown that laughter can improve immunity, act as a pain reliever, have anti-inflammatory effects that protect your blood vessels and heart muscles from cardiovascular diseases, and improve long-term health. The list goes on.
Love. Life is not LIFE without love. Even if you’re (or claim to be) someone who hates everything and everyone, you don’t. You aren’t lying; you’ve just tricked yourself into thinking that. Those moments you have when you feel good, even if it’s something bad? That’s love, baby.
Food. If you eat a rich and balanced diet, food is medicine. I went into nutritional psychology for a reason. It saved my life.
Sex. Also a great stress reliever and pain reliever. If done with the right person, it makes everything with them, for them, and about them familiar.
Money is last on the list. Yes, money is important. Unfortunately, we live in a society where you cannot survive without it. However, I’ve been at my happiest without a penny in the bank. Even though I am almost 30 now, I cry whenever my savings fall below a certain amount. I wish daily we had a resource-based economy. The effortless ability to exist would be so abundant. I won’t get into that, though.
How has your relationship with your parents/ guardians changed in adulthood?
I did not have a good upbringing emotionally, nor did I have a good relationship with either of my parents. I despised my father, and he was never around either. As a war veteran, he had his own issues that sadly bled into the upbringing of my sister and me. My mother had her issues as well, so my sister raised me mentally and emotionally. My father provided financially. My father and I thankfully did rekindle and mend our relationship into my twenties, and he is now one of my favorite people, and I look up to him immensely. My mother and I have a good relationship, but it won’t ever be a MOTHER/DAUGHTER relationship if you know what I mean—more of a cool aunt than a mother.
When do you feel most like yourself?
When I’m singing or writing. I LOVE to sing. I’d give up everything I have to sing. Unfortunately, I lack the confidence to sing in front of anyone. If I were to find out I wasn’t good, it would probably crush me. So that one stays to myself, in the car or in the shower.
What is the best compliment someone has ever given you?
Someone once told me that they admired my ability to think first and react later. Also, that they admired my patience and adaptability. Usually, in times of stress, I’m able to assess how to fix the problem, and only after I’ve done what I can do, I give myself time to emotionally react to the experience.
How do you feel about falling in love?
The thought of falling in love and realizing that’s what it actually is terrifies me. My track record with love has not been happy, fun, or healthy. Thinking back on it, I’m not sure I really have ever been “in love.” I think I’ve romanticized the idea of it so heavily that I’ve tried to force myself to feel it in every relationship. I value independence. Having to share a lot of me with another person is something I’m learning how to do.
What is one thing you’re sick of hearing?
All the cattiness between Gen Z and millennials, my goodness the only thing separating us is a few years. We need you, and you need us.
How often do you feel alone?
When I’m alone, I feel alone. However, it’s not always in a negative way. I value my alone time, I love being alone and feeling alone at times. It gives my mind time to reset itself and feel what it needs to feel.
What is one thing you hope everyone experiences in their lifetime?
The feeling of complete ease and contentment. I’ve yet to experience this, but I dream of it daily. Not just looking around at your life and thinking, “This is good; this is comfortable.” But truly feeling that you could die in that moment and not feel sad about it or feel like you’re missing out on borrowed time. To be in that position in life, I can only imagine, would be unlike any other feeling imaginable. We all deserve that.
What is one thing you hope no one has to experience in their lifetime?
The feeling of being with someone you’re so intertwined with and would give your all to, but always having to question if it’s reciprocal. The loss of a child is another experience no one ever should have. It’s a pain that you can’t compare to anything, and it never goes away.
What is the best decision you’ve ever made?
I’m still waiting to make my best decision. If, at this point in my life, though, I had to think back and pick something, I’d say staying alive and fighting for something more, whatever that may be. That is the best decision I’ve ever made thus far.
When do you feel most at ease?
When I’m by any body of water, where there is no one else around. Closing my eyes, and hearing the heartbeat of every wave. That is my truest comfort.
What does having a successful life mean to you?
To me, a successful life is being in a position where I’m not questioning anything anymore—not myself, not my choices, not my path or my career, not what I eat, wear, think, or feel. It’s not about status or money; it’s about full trust in myself and my happiness.
How often do you think about your body?
Every day. I don’t think about my reservations with my body as often anymore as I used to. Sure, I’d love to be in better shape and maybe slim up here or there. Now, though, I think more of what’s going on internally than how I look externally.
When do you ask for help?
It takes me a very long while to get to the edge of needing assistance. I’m a very stubborn person who struggles with accepting they’re wrong more often than not. I like to think I know best and my way is the only way. Asking for help makes me feel as if I’ve failed my own intuition or as if I’m less than. I’m getting better at loosening the chain on my ego. I ask for help far more often now than I ever have before.
What is something you feel strongly about?
I’d rather be happy than have money. Can money buy happiness? Yes. Is happiness only purchasable? Absolutely not.
BONUS: Tell me something good.
Life is scary, everything threaded throughout is terrifying, but it’s meant to be fun. Let go, and breathe deeply every moment you can. I’d encourage everyone to give these songs a listen, and hear them with your eyes shut. Write down whatever comes to mind; how they make you feel. These changed me; maybe they’ll help add some change to you as well.
1. How can you swallow so much sleep? - Bombay Bicycle Club
2. View from a hill - The Chameleons
3. Svefn-g-englar - Sigur Ros
4. Till I Die - The Beach Boys
5. Postcard from 1952 - Explosions in the Sky
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