Have you ever felt paralyzed? 

Really think about it. Have you ever put off the dreams and desires living and breathing on the inside of you? Have you ever felt anxious about taking the leap of faith? Have you ever said “Tomorrow is the day” only to get there and still put it off? Have you ever felt so scatter-brained about who you are, where you are going, and what you want to do with your life? Good news: you’re not alone. 

“YOU’RE FAT. YOU’RE NOT CREATIVE. YOU CAN’T START A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS.”

These statements used to be on repeat in my head quite often, and the crazy thing is that I didn’t even realize it. After experiencing deep heartbreak and developing early signs of anxiety and an eating disorder, my inner-critic was spewing out harsh accusations and jabs so often that I became somewhat numb to them. I had become BFF’s with my inner-critic, and my thought-life and actions were truly showing it. 

Here’s the hard truth: WE create our reality. 

About a year and a half ago, I was sitting at my desk in a small office building. I was scrolling through a fashion blog, awing at the “perfect” pictures, envying her never-ending travel explorations, and wishing that my life could be like that. I quickly caught myself in the act of comparison and brought myself back to reality. Then, I heard these words echo in my mind: “Ashton, YOU have the opportunity to create your reality. You can create your dream life or you can create a life you’re not happy with. The truth is that at the end of the day, it is ultimately up to YOU.” 

1| Hi Rini! Welcome to the blog space. Can you start by introducing yourself and sharing some fun facts and weird quirks? Give us the down low! 

Hi there! I am Rini and I give great hugs ☺ I grew up in Germany, my family is Greek and I met my now-husband traveling in Australia. We now live in Canada with our 9-year old Boston Terrier “puppy” Bruce. It’s been a wild ride so far, but our lives are now pretty “normal” I would say. 

There is a girl on Instagram I wish I could be so badly that I can’t even follow her.

I wish I could roll my body like a Play-Doh snake to be as skinny as hers. I wish I could have a huge flock of followers like hers. I wish I could sew sentences together like her. I wish my life could live up to her level of earth-toned atheistic. 

Feel free to laugh at the fact that I have legitimately followed and unfollowed this girl four times because I just can’t deal with her pure perfection randomly projecting on my feed, reminding me of the imperfections I had forced myself to forget about. 

1. Hi Anna! Welcome to the blog space. Can you start by introducing yourself and sharing some fun facts and weird quirks? Give us the down low!

Hey there! Thank you so much for inviting me into this space! My name is Anna Núñez, and I’m a multi-passionate artist, working as a designer and illustrator – from my home-base in Fort Myers, FL. I am such a weirdo, with many quirks, and thankfully, I’m married to a guy whose weirdness may even top mine.

I am here to tell you that anxiety is not a permanent sentence. Sure, it doesn’t really go away forever, but it can be managed. 

First, let me define anxiety for those of us who may not fully understand what it means. As a fleeting feeling, anxiety is worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

As women, we often battle our bodies. 

Have you ever looked in the mirror and nit-picked at every blemish, curve, indentation, imperfection, and “flaw?”Have you ever hidden behind layers and layers of clothing because you felt like your body didn’t meet the standard of beauty? Have you ever felt so insecure about your appearance that you avoided a party, event, or social gathering? Girl, me too.

1| Welcome, Sarah! Please start by introducing yourself, sharing who you are and what you do, and any odd habits or weird quirks you have. We want the full scoop!

Thank you for having me!  I’m Sarah, the creator, editor in chief, publisher, designer, etc. of Holl & Lane Magazine.  As most entrepreneurs know, when you start your own business, you wear all of the hats at some point!