A Little Motivation

If you’ve never worked from home before or have a tough time adjusting to new routines, the “stay at home” order and the idea of pretty much being confined to your home and immediate neighborhood can feel a bit restrictive and confining. And, I’m sure lots of people are quickly trying to figure out how to cope and figure out their new (temporary) normal.

One person that I can always count on for good ideas and sound advice, is my good friend Shannon McKain, who just happens to be a Keynote Speaker and is an authority on strategies to stay motivated, as well as how to pursue and plan your career. So, I asked her to join me for a Zoom interview to talk about how we can find motivation and stay productive and focused during these challenging times.

A few of my key takeaways from our chat:

  • Routine – Get out of bed, brush your teeth, dress the part
  • Goals – Set a few (immediate) goals that will help you right now
  • Branding – Take the time to work on your brand and be consistent on all platforms

As you will see in the interview, Shannon is a dynamic speaker who is likeable and easy to understand. She is a positive influence in my life and I was so happy to have her share some of her real life, practical wisdom in the video. To keep up with Shannon, you can visit her website: shannonmckain.com

Virtual Wine Tasting

We are all finding new ways to continue to connect with our friends and family, keep busy and do things we enjoy, most likely on a virtual online platform. And usually when you think of wine tasting, you envision visiting a tasting room or winery for a vino pour. Well, wineries along the Madera Trail, (south of Yosemite), are virtually connecting wine fans with their favorite wine makers to bring the wine community together and continue in the tradition of wine tastings, in a virtual setting!

In my latest Zoom interview I had the opportunity to chat with Brooke Smith of Visit Yosemite Madera County Tourism office and Anna Marie Dos Remedios of Idle Hour Winery to find out more on this virtual wine connection. Plus, I learned about the virtual cooking classes being offered too! Chef Robert Snyder III is teach his kitchen-maestro tips in a virtual cooking class series. First up , he showed viewers how to prepare a simple, nutrition-packed Carrot Ginger Soup from the coziness of your own home. New videos will post regularly, and now the hospitality of the Chateau du Sureau can be experienced from your home. 

As Brooke pitched : When the going gets tough, the tough come together, with new ways to appreciate things we love, like drinking wine. Although tasting rooms at Madera Wine Trail wineries are temporarily closed for anything except bottle pick-up and deliveries fear not, wine tasting is still on. Virtually, that is.

Your favorite winemakers are taking to Instagram and Facebook to open up a bottle (or two) of some cheerful reds and whites. If you are fortunate enough to have a bottle from the Madera Wine Trail tucked away, follow along with your own library. If not, grab a bottle of something you have on hand (we are sure you have stocked up, along with toilet paper!), make yourself a lovely appetizer, then have some fun chatting wine. “We wanted a way to stay in touch with our community, patrons and dear friends.” mused the winemaker and owner of Idle Hour winery, Anna Marie Remedios. “For now, we are temporarily rethinking our way of life during this time of social distancing. There are a variety of curbside pick-up or delivery options and a lot of fantastic wine discounts at the moment.”

Beauty Matrix by Dr. Christie

Some of us may be taking a closer look in the mirror, as we spend mandatory time at home during these “shelter in place” orders. Right now elective surgeries are on hold, but if it’s something you’ve been thinking about doing or are starting to consider, it’s important to think about what your ultimate goals are, rather than a quick trendy fix.

I spoke to Dr. Christie, who is a double-board certified plastic surgeon, as well as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, based in Los Angeles. She has a business called Curated Beauty which really underscores the tone of her work and she advises one treatment that may be great for you, might not be so great for another. So, to ensure plastic surgery results are optimal, she uses her “Beauty Matrix” formula. Dr. Christie says it’s really about planning and reassessing what would be best for each person in terms of the results that are hoping for because no one wants to look like a mannequin, and sometimes a procedure may not produce the desired results. You can find out more about Dr. Christie and the Beauty Matrix formula at drchristiela.com


Meal Planing

Most of us like to eat, but many of us struggle when it comes to cooking up new recipes or stepping outside of our comfort zone when we’re in the kitchen and grocery store. Okay, I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I will admit, I tend to stick to what I know when I shop for food or order ff the menu at a restaurant. I struggle with wanting to eat healthier versus eating what’s readily available, and that internal battle happens more often than not!

Lately there’s been a buzz around meal delivery services, meal prep and meal planning. I’m usually the last to try new things, and so I haven’t whole-hardheartedly experienced any of the above, but I have done some online research and learned a little about how it works..either from people around me or posts I see on the internet.

Today I had the opportunity to chat with Scott Jones of eMeals and he told me how the app works and how it can help make life easier when it comes to food to feed your family, whether it’s new meal ideas, grocery shopping and/or meal planning. And, I have to say, in this day of grocery delivery and shopping online, maybe it’s time to start seriously considering the “futuristic” way of grocery/meal shopping in a simpler, more convenient way.

Pen2Paper Project

If you’ve ever considered journaling, but didn’t know how to get started, the Pen2Paper Project is offering tips, ideas and advice on how to begin putting your thoughts and intentions on paper. I’ve kept a journal on and off myself, but never have been super consistent about it. I will say, that especially now as we deal with a unique, high stress time, I can see how keep a journal can help us stay focused and balanced.

In the interview, Jayne Portnoy talk about how keeping a journal can eliminate stress, help to re-gain awareness, make better decisions and overall, be more productive. A few of her key tips are not to overthink it, set aside a simple 7 minutes to write and keep it with you. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, post its, cards or whatever you have handy will work. It’s all about speaking your mind and releasing your thoughts!

Women’s Month Product Roundup

Long time no blog! Well, I’m hoping to be posting a little more regularly on here since we are all pretty much having to “shelter in place” to do our part to stop help prevent the spread of COVID-19. For me, that means “working from home,” not doing my regularly scheduled live weekday lifestyle show, but I figured I can still do lifestyle-ish videos and content. So expect more to come.

In the meantime, I recorded a Women’s Month (March) Product Roundup with some of my Aubrey Approved favorites!

The theme behind these products is that they were either made by women and/or designed exclusively for women! Below is the rundown of the items if you want a closer look!

Beauty Kitchen – beautykitchen.net
Radiate Wellness – radiatewellnessproducts.com
Peggy Li – peggyli.com
KATLA – KATLA.com
Skin Dipp – skinndipp.com
Pattern Curly Hair Care – patternbeauty.com
MARA Face Oil – themarabeauty.com
Strand Boards – strandboards.com
Posh Mommy – poshmommyjewelry.com

TV Host Reel

If you’re looking in the market for a job on TV, the one thing you need is a demo reel. Over the (many) years I have edited several reels (work examples) together, and this weekend I decided to put together a new one featuring some of the work I have done as a TV Lifestyle Correspondent and Host.

Fortunately or unfortunately actually, I have A LOT of footage…my problem is deciding which ones I like and what to include. The fun part is it’s like taking a small trip down memory lane going through my (TV) work clips, and recalling all the different people, places and experiences I have met along the way. It’s always refreshing for me to look back and see how I have been blessed with so many awesome experiences by simply doing my job!

Spotted on the Small Screen

Sometimes I do a little lifestyle modeling (acting), and a new spot just came out that I did for Fitbit’s new Inspire. See if you can find me in the clip below!

Some of the still images for the campaign should be coming out in stores soon.