As the nights begin to draw in over here in Canada, the shortened days can make it a little tricky to settle into a routine. And being a full-time freelancer for over two and a half years now, my "regular" routine has gone through a few changes. For all of you other creatives living that #freelancelife I wanted to share some of the activities and goals I try to work into my days that offer up the most productivity, while also keeping me sane! I'd love to hear some of yours too!

1. Morning walk with the hound first thing in the morning. Some days I'll load up an audiobook I've borrowed through the Ottawa Public Library, or (as is often the case) have a Spotify playlist loaded with the best Christmas tunes. Other days, I love to go out without any ear plugs, and listening to the sound of my neighbourhood. Luckily it's quite quiet so I can enjoy and embrace whatever the weather, knowing Kingsley and I are getting a nice dose of exercise and Vitamin D first thing in the morning. Plus, it makes it easier to concentrate without his incessant "when are we going for a walk??" whine from beside my desk.

2. Unroll my mat and get some yoga in. This one has gone through a few changes over the months. I used to have to do it first thing to feel like my day was starting off on the right foot. If I have a pass to a local studio, I'll work it into my day in whatever way suited. If I'm joining the always lovely Tina at Yoga Attic, I'll make her 9 am class to really connect with nature, like minded people and start my day off right! Or, when I had a pass to local Yogatown, I'd actually try and make the 12 o'clock flow class as a way to break up my day and give me a mini reset before the afternoon. What I'm digging right now? Post-walk yoga (Boho Beautiful is my go to link for all the vibes!) in the comfort of my home, surrounded by mellow tunes and my twinkling Christmas lights 

​3. Indulge in excellent warm drinks. You know by now I'm a little addicted to coffee - decaf, half-caff, full dark and bold - like it all! I invested in a pretty nice espresso machine a couple of years ago and it has been an absolute life saver for me. After that morning yoga, I'll go make a second cup of coffee (first cup of the day is always big and black...nothing fancy!). But this second cup, I'll froth up some nice dairy free milk (new addiction is oat milk - it foams up way better than any other dairy free milk I've had) and make a fancy little latte. This is what I'll take to my office and get the ball rolling for the day. Post lunch? It's time for a hot cup of green tea with fresh lemon.

4. Lists, lists and more lists. On the podcast I host with my sister, Life As We Try It, we recently took some personality quizzes, and it was no surprise we both thrive on writing lists and ticking them off. When you're juggling various clients, while also working for yourself, it can be hard to keep track of everything. Lists help me stay on top of it all, while also giving me that little jolt of serotonin when I smugly tick off another item, no matter how small.

5. Get out and spend time with humans. While it is excellent to be able to work from the comfort of my home, sometimes you just need to be around other humans and the hum of the real world. I find I get invigorated in a different way when I'm sitting in a local coffee shop trying to get some work done. It's excellent for letting my creative side out a little bit. When I'm out, I get to bounce energy off of other people, gain inspiration from new surroundings and not get called into non-work related things (anything from "the dishes need to be done", to "there's nothing to snack on, let's bake some fresh cookies!" are all excellent distractors sometimes.

6. When working late, wine is always a good idea. When I was in the final push to finish my first novel, A Week at the Woods', I found a glass of red wine was very helpful in those final late night pushes! Never very much as this can often lead to a drastic decline in productivity, but whether I'm editing copy, writing, or working through a social media marketing plan, sometimes you just need a glass of wine at the end of a long day, and while living that #freelancelife we all know there is no 9-5!

I hope you have found these ideas helpful and would love to hear how you create a routine while working from home too!

Or clubs of any type really. The important thing is that we have clubs and communities where we can belong. And I'm talking old fashioned, face to face meet ups where you can see, feel, and emote with other humans. Social media has created this entirely other universe where we can connect, grow and yes, even create a community. And while this is great, hell, as a freelancer who works from home, if I didn't have my online community, some days I would feel incredibly lonely (cuddles with Kingsley aside).

But I read this incredibly interesting article from Buzzfeed News this week: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. While it's a bit of a longer read than we millennials are used to these days (it's not a perfectly packaged video that fits into the 60 second time limit of Instagram? Or three paragraphs under a cute photo in your feed? Let's be honest, sometimes even those feel too long to sit through), it had sound bite after sound bite that I couldn't stop reading. It was all so real and true. And what's even more, I was just trying to vocalize similar feelings to friends and family recently.

I have a great recurring gig that pays my bills, feeds me, and allows me to put money away every month, with the freedom to take on clients here and there with interesting jobs or brands I want to align with too. I have time to do my own writing, like my novel, A Week at the Woods' or manage and work on this blog. I'm able to do all this from the comfort of my home. I don't battle traffic, or have to sit on a crowded train to get to work. If I wanted to, I could work in my underwear, leave my hair unwashed for days (seriously, how many days in a row is it socially acceptable to use dry shampoo? Asking for a friend!), and never leave my home.

But that's just not how I work for a number of reasons. But one is that I'm quite a social person - years of office life filled with travel and event networking mean it's just part of who I am. And two, the pressures of the online world, or the millennials who do it all, can get to you a lot more if you choose to go it alone. I've actually found that the more my online and home office life grows, the more lonely it can become. When I open Instagram, I'm rarely scrolling through friends feeds to like their cute photos, I'm trawling for content, or sharing likes and spreading brand awareness. I have six different Instagram accounts I run and manage. SIX. When I open IG, more often than not, it's a cause of anxiety. Facebook is just the same - I manage seven pages on FB. Do you know how many notifications I get in a day? For someone with borderline OCD, seeing constant notifications on my lock screen makes me want to run for the hills some days. But it also forms the bulk of my business and is something that I love doing and is what keeps me going. It's just a side effect of the world we live in.

It helps to remember that there is an entire world outside of online that was always there. Like when we were kids (yes Millenials...before we had cell phones, or at best, the Nokia 6310 with changeable face plate), and we could just pop over to a friend's house for a visit. We'd knock on their door and hang out, or as we got older and needed an escape from university or work stress, head over for a glass of wine or coffee for casual conversation, and more importantly, connection. This doesn't happen anymore. If you haven't texted me to tell me you're coming over, and I hear the doorbell ring, I ain't answering the door. And I know I'm not alone here! 

​I had some girlfriends over last weekend for book club. It was my birthday weekend and I was so happy to have these amazing friends of mine over to help celebrate, while it may not always be about books, it's what initially brought us together and let these friendships grow. And the way this club came about? When I first moved back to Ottawa, aside from a handful of very close friends I kept in touch with since moving away almost 10 years ago, I had to start meeting people all over again. Do you know how hard that is when you work from home?! So I joined Bumble BFF (hey, it helped me meet my boyfriend, why not some girlfriends?), met a bunch of fantastic ladies, and after a Bumble BFF double date with a few (totally adorable right?) we started a book club. And this, this regular connection with peers is what I was so missing. 

When I first moved to London, I had a look online at meetup.com (before there was an app for that!) and found The Girly Book Club hosted by the lovely Erin Woodward (and BFF of a hometown friend of my sister's back in Canada!) Being able to connect in these ways makes us all feel a bit more human and bit more connected to the real world around us. So those days when we feel like we haven't been "offline" work at all, or the stress and anxiety of living and working in today's landscape of constant notification, it helps to have a safety net to catch us.

As we head into winter here in Canada, I'm wanting to get cozy and hibernate but I'm also wanting to try new things that keep me cultivating those real connections. Every year I try to select a few things that I know will push me out of my comfort zone but that also help to connect to new people, new things, new hobbies. And with that comes so much more than growth.

How about you? How do you stay sane in an online world? Do you have any clubs or hobbies you would recommend trying? I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to the first edition of Behind the Scenes (BTS)  Friday! That's a thing right? As any writer knows, sometimes the process can be a long, lonely and arduous one. But it is also filled with deep love for our characters and enchantment as we build and create a completely new world populated with our own imagination of characters.

After completing my final round of edits on A Week at the Woods' last month, I made the decision to send out inquiry letters to a few different reputable literary agencies - eek! Very exciting and nerve wracking but I decided to take a leap and see where I landed. The only thing is, now we wait! It can take up to three months to hear anything back so I have actually begun to work on my next novel in the mean time. Yes, the first one isn't published yet and only my editor and I have actually read it through from start to finish, but what better time to start creating another new world to get lost in?

Before I go into too much detail on this new project - it is after all, a very new relationship and I don't want to rush anything just yet - I wanted to share a tiny excerpt from the book jacket of A Week at the Woods' since I have had so many supportive friends reach out and ask me what it's all about:

If you love a big family dramedy filled with multiple points of views and a deep love for one another, than this is the book for you!

I'd also love to hear from the writers out there - how do you celebrate finishing a novel? Do you immediately start reaching out to publishers? Take the self publishing road? Do you start right into your next project? Or sit with the finality of your cherished characters and how their stories ended? 

In October, we celebrate Thanksgiving here in Canada. And while we tend to be very warm, welcoming and accommodating here in the North, I think we all go just a little bit further during these cooler months. We pause, give thanks to friends and family but also to those in our community in need. Perhaps it has something to do with the cruelness of winters here that we feel the need to let the warmth come from within us.

Either way, autumn has to be one of my absolute favourite seasons. In fact, I was recently listening to the Ologies podcast with Alie Ward and she said she had a theory that everyone's favourite season is the one their birthday is in and perhaps that explains my family's obsession with Fall and Christmas. Majority of us were born October - December (sorry pops - no spring babies counted here). There are also so many fantastic quotes about this time of year that lend themselves to the magic of the season. I've included a few of my favourites here:

• “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
  
• “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers” - Lucy Maud Montgomery
  
• “The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.” - Unknown
  
  

So while the nights start to draw in, and the long hot days of summer slip away, I'm going to smugly sit here, piling some freshly chopped wood into our fireplace. I'm going to let the dancing glow of the flames mimic the beautiful golds and reds outside my window and enjoy this fantastic reminder from Mother Nature that we can all slow down a bit now, we can shed that which doesn't belong anymore and spend the colder months doing a little work on the inside - inside our homes and inside our hearts.

How about you? I'd love to hear which season is your favourite and why!

You may have noticed I've been a tad on the busy side (and MIA from here!) lately. Summer always flies by too quickly in Canada but between moving house, settling in, trying to fit in some camping and many weekends away, we closed the summer with 10 days in California and it was phenomenal! Especially for all of the creative vibes that state is oozing with - tried to soak it all in!

But along with my regular gigs, I worked with my editor on my novel - she's just about ready to go to an agent! And, even more exciting...my sister and I launched a podcast!

Our podcast is called "Life As We Try It" and focuses on trying out the different fads, crazes and trends we are inundated with in today's world and be the guinea pigs for you! Then we discuss what we thought about them over our favourite bevvies (yes, predominantly wine but we also love sampling amazing coffee, kombucha, tea and so much more!). We would love if you gave it a listen! For more info, check out our website and Instagram. 

Woohoo! It's finally done! 80,140 words later, I have a (very heavy!) finished first draft of my debut novel.

I know I sat here back in January and vowed to do a weekly blog post, and I did manage to keep it up for a month or so but of course, life called me away and my blog sat sadly staring at me every time I sat down at my computer.

I've had a very full plate over the past few months and sadly something just had to give. The personal projects always seem to go first. But between working with a number of fantastic clients, raising a puppy, looking for a new house (omg guys we looked at about 45 before finding THE ONE!), and really wanting to get serious about my novel, the blog ended up on the chopping block. And sadly, the guitar lessons also had to go! 😕 I absolutely loved my instructor and was getting so much out of the classes but I just couldn't commit to the practice time in between. I really plan to get back to it though once life calms down a bit. Oh and golf lessons for the summer - ticking those bucket list items off!

But I'm heading into summer clearer on my own personal goals. I've really embraced setting goals and visions everyday about what I want from this one wild life and writing will always play a very big role in that.

For now though, I have some heavy editing to get to and then I'll be able to share this very special novel with all of you! If you have any questions, tips on publishing or just want to chat, I'd love to hear from you! 

Happy March first everyone! Winter can feel so damn long, I'm just excited we've made it to March! 🎉

Today was one of those perfect spring-like days too. If you closed your eyes (to all the snow still around!) you could swear flowers would be poking through any minute!

I was lucky to sneak away to the Bahamas for a week this February for a bit of winter sun and heat. Oh hello tan! I missed you! I realized that I'm quite lucky I get to travel a fair bit every year so I should really be sharing those experiences with you (and hopefully you can leave some of your own comments and tips below!)

So the first trip of 2019 was to Bahamas with Rich to join my parents on their 37 foot C&C sailboat. This is their second trip down to Bahamas after going in 2014/2015. They have been away since September making their way down and have been hosting all of us kids since January 30th! Working in yachting, it's always fun when you get time on the water - superyacht or dinghy, I don't care as long as the water is below me and stars up above!

We started in Nassau - last time I went with work, we flew right into Staniel Cay so I missed the main port. Although we did set sail bright and early the next day for the islands and let me tell you, this is the only way to see Bahamas! Once you hit the Exumas, it's white sand beach after crystal clear turquoise and aqua water. The kind of gin clear water that meant we could spot nurse sharks 20 or 30 feet below perfectly.

And it did get me thinking: "are we doing life right?" Don't get me wrong, I love and am embracing exactly where I am right now. But in today's modern world with more and more people working remotely, and social media making the world feel smaller than ever, who's to say, instead of buying a house and adulting the classical way, we don't just buy a boat, see the world and work from there? I gotta tell you, after a few days at sea, I was almost ready to suggest this!

But of course, reality hits and living in close quarters with your loved one can also have its drawbacks 😅 Plus, our plans to buy a house are mostly driven by being able to give our ridgie, Kingsley a nice yard to play in 😂.

Either way, the little escape down to island life was good for the body and soul. It's interesting to switch perspectives when away on holiday to come back refreshed and ready to tackle life again. Maybe with a new angle, new appreciation or renewed focus and creativity for the future. I think the Bahamian sun definitely served me well for that! 

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I've realized this is key to surviving winter. Even if you can't afford to get away to somewhere hot and sunny, or the schedule just doesn't allow it right now. Take a break. However you can and wherever you can. We went to Le Nordik (in Chelsea, just across the bridge from Ottawa) in early February and even this day out in nature, in a beautiful spa, sipping prosecco in a giant hot tub with frozen Gatineau Park below, did wonders for my mental health and helped break up the short days and long nights of winter.

So tell me, where have your travels taken you lately? Here's a few snaps of our time in the Bahamas - it almost feels like I'm right back there (almost...).

Welcome to February! Woohoo we finally made it! 🎉 January can feel so long so reaching February is enough to feel like an achievement for me!

I thought I would reflect a bit on this first month of 2019 and how I was making out with my goals from the beginning of the year. Obviously so fresh into a new year, they won't all be ticked off but I thought it would be great to check in on the ongoing items.

1. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day for 100 days. I'm thrilled to say, that even with temperatures that plummeted down to -44 with the windchill at its worst, and average daily temperatures around the minus teens, I still made it out everyday for a walk. Even with our record breaking snowfall in Ottawa of 97cm in January alone (yes, in one month!), I still managed to put on about 15 layers (for both myself and the dog!) and get a daily dose of fresh air, sunshine, and daily step count. Although we battle the cold winters, we are blessed with quite a bit of sunshine, which makes for beautiful photos, even if there is a risk of frostbite!

2. Learn to play guitar. I've had two lessons so far - should have been three but there was a terrible snowstorm followed by freezing rain which caused classes to be cancelled! And I'm loving learning something new! I also love the way my teacher has structured the classes - we jump right into well-known songs that use minimum chords, which means I can almost sound like I know what I'm doing already! You'll be able to find me by the bonfire this summer leading the sing-along 🤩

3. Meditate daily. Ok so I'll admit I've missed three days this month 😕 While not ideal, I figure 3 out of 31 isn't a terrible average and it's become more of a routine than in the past. Apps are so helpful for trying to stick to something new. I've been using the free version of the "Calm" app which I've really enjoyed. I mostly use the timed meditation, but there's always a little quote at the end which I like reading as well. 

4. Finish my novel. I've been experimenting with different writing methods - X amount of minutes a day/week, or X amount of words in each sitting. I'm still working out a way to make this a daily habit and while I'm not there yet, I've managed about 5,000 words this month with a very busy schedule.

Which leads me to another update...

I did stand here a month ago, vowing to write a weekly blog post for you all. And I've really enjoyed having this extra bit of commitment to get me into my chair and write. However, I've been thrilled to add some new clients to my roster this year and have really enjoyed working with new people in different niches. I have found the work to be creatively inspiring and have loved being able to bounce new ideas off of people that are coming to this mutual space with different strengths and experiences. But this also means time is more and more limited. With point 4 becoming more and more important, I need spare creative space to work on that novel! 

So my weekly blog post will change to a monthly post. I'm still committing to a regular check-in with y'all and I don't see this as a failure. I think we all need to put our hand up and admit when it all just gets to be a bit much. There is no weakness in asking for help or admitting you've overbooked yourself. I think it takes strength to be able to do that (and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm doing it now!) So have an excellent February dear followers - we're off to the Bahamas mid-month for some much needed sunshine and heat! I look forward to updating you all on my return and in the meantime, feel free to follow along on instagram here! 

As some of you may know, I moved back to Canada after spending nearly 10 years (off and on) in London, UK. While it's absolutely amazing to be back surrounded by all of my fellow maple syrup loving, overly friendly, beautiful Canucks, I kind of forgot about one major issue:

Canadian winters.

And I'm not talking about the dusting of snow that Londoners would get here and there (and yes, the entire city would shut down). I'm talking about 40cm of snowfall in an afternoon; temperatures of up (down?) to -45 degrees celsius (yes you read that right. Celsius. Go ahead, read that sentence again) with the windchill. Don't know what a windchill is? Count yourself lucky.

I'm talking about winters that stretch from November to April. The kind that, by March it's a slushy grey mess and the "fun" parts of winter begin to dissipate. Skiing is on its way out, the trails for snowshoeing or hiking with the dog are sloppy and the bright sunshine that once reflected off that powdery white stuff is melting into the grey skies of spring.

Now don't get me wrong. I'll take the above versus winters in London (or any weather in London really, because let's be honest, their seasons are a little less apparent than ours). The dampness doesn't sink into your bones here, the snow is generally quite pretty and fluffy, the sun usually shines bright and it comes with a number of amazing winter sports. 

But, I have realized that there are a few ways to survive winter now that I'm back. The fact I have a South African born, British boyfriend means I'm seeing winter through his eyes now too - eyes that are usually seen only through the slit of his scarf in these really cold days! So in no particular order, here's my survival list:

1. Take up winter hobbies. Yes, this is easier said than done when the wind is blowing, you need to dig your car out of the driveway, put on 15 layers and wait for your car to warm up. BUT, you can find local trails for a hike (with the dog is our fave!) and find a pub/cafe/restaurant nearby; slap on some snowshoes (surprisingly not very expensive) and head into the forest; hit the ski slopes for some downhill, or borrow a pair of cross country skis to tour around. Also on my list this year? Rent a fat bike - I've been wanting to do this since they first came out and have yet to do! Also fun? Get chummy with friends that have some (or all of the above) like our neighbour who has three snowmobiles that he leaves the keys in so anytime we want to go for a ride, we're good to go!

2. Make plans to get OUT. Another one that is very easy to let slide. Hibernation mode is a real thing and it can be so tempting when you're looking at another snowstorm rolling in. But as long as you've got a good set of winter tires, and the roads are clear, make plans to get out! I make plans to go to yoga, meet a friend or client for coffee or glass of wine, head for a guitar lesson (ok mine was cancelled this week due to a snowstorm followed by freezing rain but shit happens), my boyfriend and I went to a dance lesson last week then had margaritas - change up the routine! Whatever you have to do to stay motivated when the days are short and the weather isn't kind. Hit the gym on your way home from work, meet a friend for a drink or work from the coffee shop for a bit. You know the saying, 'misery loves company'? Never has this been truer when talking to a fellow Canadian about shovelling your way out of the driveway to get your caffeine fix at Starbees.

3. Get good at hygge (hoo-gah). Ok I know this contradicts the above, but there's a time and a place. After a long day skiing? Enjoy your après ski at home next to the fireplace. Pour a glass of wine (or two, or three - you're not driving anywhere else today!) and embrace the cozy side of winter. Our pup is a Rhodesian Ridgeback and while he loves running around in the snow, anything too chilly and he's out. I can put him in the warmest coats I've bought him, but at a certain point, it's time to head inside. So slip into those yoga pants, thick reading socks, park it on the sofa and get your snuggle on.

4. Plan a trip (or at least daydream!). Statistics show even looking at images of exotic locations or daydreaming about your next vacation can do wonders for your mental health. We have a trip coming up to Bahamas in February and I cannot wait to feel some sun on my (pasty) skin. When the snow is coming down? I can sit smugly knowing I'll soon be on a white sand beach, sipping a cold cocktail, with the snow a million miles away. Equally, when you arrive back from said vacation, you'll need to still look at those photos, because that warm vacation feeling you were rocking only days ago? Ya, that will be long gone.

5. Supplements help. This may not be for everyone but seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a real thing and a daily dose of Vitamin D has certainly helped me stave this off! I could have used it as well in London due to its lack of sunny days but better late than never!  

6. Embrace the seasons. I feel so lucky to be back in Ottawa. This part of Canada has such distinctive seasons and I've loved embracing each one. Without our cold, snowy winters, we wouldn't have our hot and sunny summers, or our colourful falls and refreshing springs. I also think it's what makes us Canadians so unique - we bond through the tough times and celebrate the good ones. When I see snowstorms covered on the news here, you know what's often shown? The guy that skated down to his local Tims after freezing rain last week. The community that helped each other dig out their cars after a huge snowstorm. The many winter festivals on offer with large turnouts, or the sheer number of people skating on the Rideau Canal daily. You see, winter isn't something to dread, but I think it's something to lean into. Even when this is my current backyard: 

How about you? How do you embrace / enjoy / get through the winter months? I'd love to hear from you! Until then...stay warm! ❄️ ​

At some point, I really started to live by this motto. 

I think it was around the time I was going through a divorce in my twenties. I had all of these big dreams and goals of what I wanted to achieve with my life and sadly, that relationship wasn't very conducive to that (amongst other things).

Starting life anew, alone for the first time as an adult, in a foreign country was damn hard - and freaking scary. But I knew in order to become the best version of me,  I was going to have to put myself out there and soar.

Traveling around the world networking with some very important people, my first real interview, being filmed for live reporting, taking street dance and ballet classes, enrolling in a writing course, taking up yoga, joining a cycle club, my first race, getting my own place, going freelance and needing to be responsible for my own pay cheque each week, moving to a new city and having to make new friends, learning guitar. 

All are things that I had to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new. Of course I was nervous. Of course my anxiety was riding high. On my way to some of the above, my stomach was often flip-flopping.

But, I also just said to myself, "fake it til ya make it" and it immediately put my mind at ease. Plus, worst case scenario, I could use it in my memoirs right? 😅

The latest undertaking is the guitar lessons. I bought a cheap guitar when I was in London and it has sat in a corner for the last three years. I tried to do the online courses and just couldn't wrap my head around it. So, this week I went to my first lesson and had all those same feelings. I was worried I would look stupid or have no idea what I was doing. Which, having never played a guitar in my life, of course I would have no idea what I was doing!

But I left that class on such a high - the pride, accomplishment, and excitement with starting something new reassured me it was all worth it. And I guarantee you, all of the other people you see when scrolling through instagram doing something exciting, transforming their lives, travelling somewhere exotic - all of them had similar fears and feelings of doubt before they started too. 

So why not try something new yourself this year? I promise you won't regret it!