Hi everyone! 

Welcome to our  Love Yourself Well 5-Week Plan group! This group is for all of us to share how our experience is going, provide recommendations, ask questions, and SUPPORT each other throughout the plan and during whatever stage/week you're at!

When leaving a discussion on the community that is specifically about the 5-week plan, make sure you leave it in this group and add the topic/tag Love Yourself Well & 5-Week Plan.

SO excited to kick this off with all of you! 

Hi Love Clubbers! 

In case you haven't heard, we're kicking off the 5-week plan from @Lauren Bosworth's new book 'Love Yourself Well' tomorrow, January 7th! 

The 5-week plan combines a Gut-Brain-Vagina supporting diet, supplement, and lifestyle choices that heal the gut and support the vagus nerve, immune system, and endocrine system to help your body get back to homeostasis.

Here's what you'll need to get started:

• A copy of Love Yourself Well
• 5 Essential supplements that are mentioned in the book (a multivitamin, fiber, probiotics, omega-3, and l-glutamine)
  • You can get all of these supplements at Love Wellness except for L-Glutamine. I would recommend getting the Essential Love Yourself Well bundle and adding on the Omegas!

Don't have the book or supplements yet? NBD! You can start the 5-week plan whenever, we'll still be here to help support you along the way! 

Make sure you join our Love Yourself Well 5-Week Plan group so we can all share how our experience is going, provide support, ask questions, share recommendations, and more.

Total body bliss, here we come!

Today is always a reflective one for me, like many others. Looking back on an entire year that went by in the blink of an eye but also feels like it was so long ago. The change, the growth, the memories (good and bad) - it all feels so significant today. 

I'll keep this note short and sweet so we can all take in the final moments of 2021 but do want to share something I'll be doing today to close out the year, and that's writing a letter to my (2021) self. A thank you letter, a love letter, a 'proud of you' letter. A letter that acknowledges all that I did, went through, and grew through. I don't know about you but I rarely celebrate wins (big or small) and that's something I plan on changing next year. So, I thought what better way to kick that off than by writing a letter to myself!

I hope you all can find time to reflect on this year as well and acknowledge how far you've come. We did it, we're still standing, we're still going, and that is something to really be proud of!

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

Does anyone else follow @garyvee on Instagram? He posted this a while back and obviously I was a sucker for it! The first 3 traits I saw were empathy, awareness, and curiosity and these feel pretty spot on to me 😄what are the first 3 traits you see?

Sending you all so much love, light, laughter, health and happiness! 

Back again with another @yung_pueblo post!

These really hit home for me - so much that I'm planning to print this out and use it as a daily reminder in the New Year. How are you going to make the most of 2022? Are there any from this list that really stand out to you? Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

I saw this post on the @yung_pueblo IG account and wanted to share it with our community because it's just SO DAMN TRUE. What are some of the unforgettable truths that 2021 taught you? 

This past weekend while I was home for Thanksgiving, I volunteered at a Hospice center with my mom. We hold Hospice and their work very close to our hearts as they were brought into our home prior to my dad passing from cancer, as well as both grandparents on my mom's side. We spent the day putting flower bouquets together and delivering them to patients at the center. As you can imagine, it was a very special and heartfelt day.

It feels fitting to share this with all of you today, it being Giving Tuesday. Straight from their website, GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to come together through generosity in all its forms by sharing acts of kindness and giving their voice, time, money, goods, and advocacy to support communities and causes. 

If you aren't sure of how to give back today, get involved, or if there isn't an organization you feel strongly about, TheSkimm had a section in their newsletter this morning dedicated to Giving Tuesday that I felt was important to share with our community. They highlighted different organizations and ways to give back, be it donations or volunteering for so many affected by the pandemic.

I hope this is helpful and inspires you to give back in some small way - whether it's today or periodically throughout the year. Please do share your stories, organizations, or how you give back in the comments! I'd love to hear from you!

Women in the workforce…Between February and April 2020, 22 million Americans lost their jobs. In April 2020 alone, women made up 55% of job losses. One analysis found that one in 10 working moms with young kids quit work – half saying it was because of school closures. Nearly two years later, many women still haven’t returned to the workplace. And women of color have experienced an even slower recovery. You can support orgs that provide resources for women to thrive in their careers like Dress for Success and Path Forward.

People facing hunger and food insecurity...Last year, over 38 million people in the US lived in households with food insecurity (limited access to adequate food). And one analysis found that the number of people experiencing hunger still remains far above pre-pandemic levels. Some ways you can give back: Donate to orgs like Feeding America or your local food pantry. Or reach out to volunteer with orgs like Meals on Wheels. 

Those in the digital divide…As kids and employees went from IRL to remote life, the pandemic exposed major gaps in access to tech and the internet. The FCC has found that about 14.5 million Americans still don't have access to broadband service – mostly due to things like their location and income. But another report estimates the number is actually closer to at least 42 million. PCs for People and Digitunity are just some of the orgs working to close the digital gap by providing things like computers and internet service.

Health care workers…At the beginning of the pandemic, hospitals struggled to get their hands on PPE, ventilators, and more. Since then health care workers have treated patients through multiple variants and surging cases. But now, there’s a shortage of health care workers. You could donate to the CDC Foundation or CORE Response, which both provide things like med supplies and emergency staff to communities in need. Or to For the Frontlines, an org that provides free crisis counseling to health care workers.

Those experiencing homelessness...More than half a million people are homeless across the US. And the pandemic hit them hard. Think: little access to places to wash their hands and almost no social distancing at shelters. People who are homeless are twice as likely to be hospitalized and three times as likely to die than the general public. Covenant House works to support youth facing homelessness. And Family Promise helps families experiencing homelessness by providing alternative shelter and transportation. And with winter approaching, One Warm Coat is going to need all of the coats they can get. 

Mental health...The pandemic wreaked havoc on people's mental health. More than 40% of Americans admitted to feeling depressed – after months of isolation and financial stress. And physicians are calling the mental health crisis among kids a national emergency. With young girls and children of color particularly at risk. Here are some resources to keep in mind: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers free and confidential support for people in distress. The Child Mind Institute provides clinical care and supports community programs. And Pet Partners brings pets and people who are struggling together. 

Resources: theSkimm

Happy Thanksgiving Love Club!

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and love filled holiday. 

I hope you're able to reflect on all that you're grateful for and spend your time being present in the company of whoever you are with. Friends, family, maybe even strangers. Express your gratitude and make today a day full of memories with those that are with you and a day where you share the memories of those that might not be. 

I'm grateful for all of you and this beautiful community we're building. 🤎

I think we all can agree that we love a Thanksgiving appetizer as much as we love the Thanksgiving feast. I think we also can all agree we LOVE a  charcuterie board situation.

Food52 never disappoints, and when @Madeline McNamara shared this super easy, super yummy, charcuterie basket with me, I knew we needed to share it on The Love Club just in time for the Holidays.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces (one round) soft-ripened goat cheese
• 6 ounces Gruyère
• 6 ounces washed rind cow’s milk cheese, such as Epoisses or Taleggio or Manchego
• 4 ounces salami di Parma, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces dried figs, cut in half
• 4 ounces dried apricots, cut in half
• 3 ounces dried cranberries
• 1 ounce pomegranate seeds
• 1 box fruit and nut crackers
• 3 ounces candied walnuts
• 1 jar fig jam
• 1 bunch fresh thyme

Instructions:

1. With a sharp knife, slice the Gruyère into long, thin rectangles. Slice the round of soft-ripened goat cheese in half, and keep the wheel of washed-rind cheese whole (whether it's a round or wedge)
2. Spread out the different cheeses evenly on the plate
3. Fold the salami in half, and in half again. Layer this down the center of the plate in a curved shape to make our "salami river."
4. Create “produce ponds” around the plate, filled in with dried figs, dried apricots, and dried cranberries. Once those are on the plate, sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the dried figs to add a pop of color
5. Fill in the rest of the empty gaps with the crackers and mixed nuts
6. In an empty ramekin, scoop in the fig jam
7. Garnish the plate with sprigs of fresh thyme

If you're in charge of a festive appetizer this year, and whether it's on a board or basket, I hope this or something similar makes it's debut at your feast!