Self Employment || Week 2

My first full week of self employment is in the books! 

Feeling:

I'm definitely in the transition phase, but I'm starting to settle into a routine and figure things out. I still feel like I'm on some weird extended vacation, and I really miss my zoo coworkers. It almost feels like a breakup, and unexpectedly emotional! But life moves on and new reality is sinking in more and more each day. I've set some hard deadlines and am doing a lot of "visioning" and planning. I'm struggling to find a balance between thinking/planning and doing/making, and I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety but I think everything will start to come together and feel more legitimate as I polish up my creative brand and work on treating my businesses as actual JOBS, not just the things I do for fun.

Doing:

 I'm trying to set consistent daily habits that will keep me on track with my Beachbody business. After I workout in the morning, I brew up some coffee, blend a shake, and tackle a "power hour" of Challenge Group check-ins and communications while my energy level is high.

Around 9:30 I take a break for a larger breakfast. This was 1/3 c raw oats, 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt, a splash of almond milk, and cinnamon all stirred up and then topped with a drizzle of maple syrup, microwaved frozen berries, frozen banana slices, chia seeds, and hemp hearts. I've been loving cold oat bowls all summer but I think we're officially heading back into hot oatmeal season!

Something exciting that happened this week was my first team webinar with my coaches! We're going to start having a virtual hangout every week focused on training, personal development, and goal setting. I love my team so much and I'm so excited to see how we grow and develop in the months ahead!

I'm also taking advantage of my flexible schedule to meet up for coffee, lunch, dinner, and workouts with my Chicago clients, coaches, and friends! So fun. And I finally got a much needed hair cut.

On Wednesday I pushed myself out of the good old comfort zone for an adventure with my incredible wedding photographer

Christy

. She's trying to build her portfolio for her

Beautiful Sessions

, which are geared towards making women feel gorgeous and confident in their own skin, so I decided to jump at the chance to celebrate and document this moment of my life. It was definitely a confidence boost and fun to connect with a different side of myself from the usual leggings/frizzy hair/low maintenance Anna. Who knew that there was a Glamazon just waiting to emerge?

Making:

Lots of yummy dinners! I'm so happy the weather is cooling off, because it means that comfort food season is here! I tried two recipes from PaleOMG this week and they were both hits. This was the

Chicken Bacon Rice Bowl

, and we also loved the

Pizza Spaghetti Pie

. 

I've also started knitting again! I'm making some gorgeous striped chunky cowls for the shop. Knitting + wine + fall candle burning is perfection.

If wine goes with knitting, then tea most definitely goes with sewing. This is a comfy, stretchy, knit infinity scarf that will be

in the shop

next week. Can you tell my theme for fall is cozy comfort?

Planning:

Next week I'm hosting my first "coach preview" group on Facebook for anyone who's interested in learning more about the Beachbody coaching opportunity. I'm planning to make this a monthly thing and I'm excited to stretch my boundaries and put myself and my team out there to connect with other motivated, driven, and passionate women! Still can't believe I've clicked so hard with this network marketing thing. 

I'm also launching my re-branded

Etsy shop

and Fall 2014 scarf line this coming Wednesday the 17th! I can't wait! So much floral, lace, flannel, cozy cowl goodness is headed your way. 

I'm testing out my first email subscription campaign, so if you want to stay up to date on my new products and adventures, you can

sign up here

! I'm going to be sending out an exclusive promotion on Wednesday to all my subscribers! 

So that's what's new with me! Just trying to find my footing in this crazy life, and constantly pushing the boundaries. Don't ever settle for less.

Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach's income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings located at https://images.beachbody.com/coach-office/downloads/statement_of_independent_coach_earnings.pdf for the most recent information on our Coaches' actual incomes.

Raspberry Oat Protein Pancakes

Have you ever tried a protein pancake?

It's kind of a health and fitness cult thing, a pancake made with protein powder instead of flour. It sounds weird at first, but you mix the protein with some smashed bananas and egg, and it actually works! I was introduced to the recipe when I joined the Tone It Up community last summer.

Breakfast is hands-down my favorite meal of the day, and I'm always trying to find something that fills me up for at least half the morning. Protein pancakes have become a staple in my rotation, and I usually make one (or a waffle version!) at least once a week. Brown rice protein powder seems to work the best since it has more of a flour consistency than other proteins, and my favorite brands are Perfect Fit and Sun Warrior. They're both kind of pricey, but a bag usually lasts me a few months since I don't eat protein pancakes everyday. I also prefer the consistency, flavor, and ingredients of Shakeology for smoothies, so I save my brown rice protein for these pancakes!

I'd say that protein pancakes do an 80% job of satisfying my pancake cravings (they're definitely not as good as the real thing), but they keep me full and energized for so long without the carb coma and sugar crash of the real deal!

The basic protein pancake recipe calls for 1/2 banana, egg whites, 1 scoop of protein powder, cinnamon, and a small splash of almond milk. I think that recipe turns out a little dry, but they're good if you top them with fruit and Greek yogurt.

I like to add a little bit of oat flour to the mix to give the pancakes a more satisfying, cake-y texture. This is my current go-to recipe that I've been eating a lot lately!

Raspberry Oat Protein Pancakes

Serves 1

Ingredients:

-1/2 ripe banana

-1 egg

-1/4 cup almond milk

-1 scoop brown rice protein

-1/4 cup oat flour (literally just oats pulverized in a food processor)

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp baking soda

(optional: vanilla or other flavored extracts)

Topping:

-2/3 c fresh or frozen raspberries, warmed in the microwave

-1/4 c plain Greek yogurt sweetened with stevia

Mash the banana and egg together in a bowl with a fork until the banana is almost smooth. Add remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly. Preheat a pan while you're mixing your batter (I've discovered that cast iron works the best!) and coat it with coconut oil or non-stick spray. Once the pan is nice and hot, turn the heat down to medium-low, pour in your batter, and let it cook for 5-6 minutes until the edges are starting to solidify. Use the biggest spatula you have to flip the pancake and cook it on the other side for 2-3 minutes.

You can make one giant pancake or two to three smaller ones. Smaller pancakes are easier to flip and good to start with until you get the hang of the technique! It's important to make sure your pan is really hot, and then cook your pancake long enough so it's more than halfway done before attempting the flip. It's easy to end up with a "pancake scramble" if you don't let it cook long enough, but luckily a scramble is just as tasty.

[21 Day Fix: 2 purples, 1 1/2 reds, 1/2 yellow]

Top your pancake with the Greek yogurt and berries, and enjoy!

Self Employment || Week 1!

Where do I even start?

The past seven days have been a whirlwind. I'm trying to live in the present moment, pay extra attention to my emotions, remind myself that it's ok to be a beginner, and document this new transition as much as possible via iPhone pics, Instagram, and good old fashioned journaling because I know it's something I'll want to look back on once I've made it through to the other side.

Friday, August 29th was my last day working full-time at the zoo. I put in my two months notice back in June, so it's not like the day snuck up on me, but it was still unsettling and bittersweet to leave my coworker-friends and the department I called home for almost a year and a half. I'd like to say that I drove out of the parking lot for the last time in a riot of glory, with fireworks and a Beyonce power anthem blasting on the stereo, but it was more of a contained, "WTF is happening," uncomfortably normal feeling afternoon. I felt similar to the days I graduated college and grad school--excited to be moving on to the next, highly anticipated chapter of life, but sad to be leaving memories and important people behind.

I am one hundred percent certain that I'm making the right life choices with perfect timing, and I literally can't believe how lucky I am for all the forces/opportunities/people that have guided me to this point. I don't know exactly where my path is leading, but I know that I'm heading in the right direction and I have no doubt that I'll be successful in whatever I end up doing. In fact, as much as I'm terrified of failure...I think what TRULY petrifies and paralyzes me is the concept of success. I'm used to the struggle, the grind, the process, and I'm scared that things are going to happen too fast for me to handle. At the same time, I am impatient and want to accomplish ALL THE THINGS all at once, immediately. Yeah I'm kind of a mess.

I think my first official week of self-employment can be divided into two phases: the north woods Wisconsin Labor Day retreat, and the return to "reality."

Phase one: Wisconsin

Over the past eight months or so, I've made some amazing real life friends through my health and fitness account on Instagram. It's kind of like online dating, but for fun, active, supportive girlfriends who completely GET you, and this community is what has allowed me to establish my own small health and fitness business and quit my job to pursue my dreams. 

This past winter, my Chicago friend Kathleen and I both individually connected with Kaite, who is a teacher living in a small town in northern Wisconsin. Like, as far north as you can get. Kathleen and I had been throwing around the idea of hitting the road and driving up to visit Kaite all summer, and we decided to just make it happen! 

Make it happen. My mantra for 2014.

Kaite lives in Bayfield, a tiny, gorgeous, welcoming lakeside community. We spent Labor Day weekend hanging out, being as active as possible, drinking wine, having adventures, eating delicious food, and wandering the wooded hills. It was a perfect weekend, especially since all three of us are going through some sort of life or emotional transition right now and needed some downtime to reconnect to ourselves and essentially use each other for therapy.

I've become so used to living in the city that I didn't even know how much I've been missing the outdoors. Being able to walk out the door and hike into the woods or down to the water is a simple luxury that makes me feel like myself, and as much as I love Chicago, and as much as I've grown accustomed to the hustle of the city, this past weekend was a jolting wake-up call.

I'm completely in love with Lake Superior. At least the summer version.

After an incredible weekend of trees, water, fresh air, and outdoor dining, it was a bit of a shock to come back to the city.

Phase 2: New Reality

Not gonna lie, my new reality is kind of fabulous.

But at the same time, it's coming as a complete shock to my system. Growing pains!

I don't have to wake up and get out the door at a certain time. I don't have to feel pressured to be productive on my side-biz's every night and weekend, because they are no longer on the side. I no longer have to feel fragmented and pulled in too many directions. I DON'T HAVE TO PACK A LUNCH! I can plan my day to suit my energy levels. But I am 100% responsible for my success, income, and responsibilities.

I'm giving myself the entire month of September to get organized, set goals, resurrect my poor neglected Etsy shop, and figure out what I want to accomplish in the remaining months of the year. My best friend and sister in law are getting married the last two weekends of the month, so I'm also excited to be able to focus on their big days!

Every day I feel a little more like myself. I'm working on figuring out a routine, making giant to-do lists, prioritizing what needs to happen, and the roller coaster of anxiety/excitement and terror/joy is slowwwwly starting to equalize. I just want to feel calm again!! For now though, I'm overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed with anticipation for the projects that I'm going to be able to finally tackle.
Overwhelmed with fear that I'm not going to be able to make enough money to live the life I imagine.
Overwhelmed with vulnerability because I'm finally putting myself out there.
Overwhelmed with gratitude for the people in my life who have enveloped me with love and support.

Out of nowhere, something small will hit me and make me extremely happy, like being able to eat lunch at home, going to the fabric store at 9am before the crowds, or taking Saturday off to relax and "waste time" reading and thinking.

This is a massive and extremely personal shift in my career and life. I've worked and wished and waited and yearned for this moment to arrive for so long, and now that it's finally here I don't even know what to do with myself. But I'm figuring it out one day at a time, and I am going to share my journey every step of the way.

Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you just might get it.