Allie Talk: The joys, hurdles, and takeaways from 2022
This year started out with a bang…an 11 hour bang. On January 18 at 6:34pm, I gave birth to my second child, my daughter Astor. With kids – as with all relationships and new companies – there comes a whole lot of messiness, which seemed to be the theme for me this past year.
Obviously, to me, my daughter is perfect. It was love at first sight when she was born. But when she finally woke up out of her newborn slumber, my husband and I wondered if we had given birth to the newest death metal star. She had a wail that could pierce the ears of even the most seasoned musician and she never seemed to get tired of screaming.
Needless to say, her first few months were a little more difficult than we had expected. It reminded me that all new things – really all things, period – in life come with both difficulties and joy. As this year comes to a close, I have been looking back on my three babies – my two actual children and my 1.5-year-old company Veracity – and taking stock of what went right, what went wrong, and what my plans are for next year!
The Highs:
Over 3,000 women took our at-home Skin + Health Test and were able to start on their journey to hormonal health awareness and balance with the help of Veracity.
We launched the first Hormone Health Awareness Month that brought together amazing women from different areas of expertise to spread the word about how balanced hormones are essential to all aspects of wellness.
I ran my 13th marathon, and my first ever as a mother. While it wasn’t my fastest (it was 75 degrees!), I was proud of myself for making it happen and practicing the self care I love most – running.
I learned how to parent both of my children by myself when my husband is away. This took months and is still on shaky ground, but a win’s a win!
I got my natural period back for the first time since 2014, when it disappeared after I went on a hormonal IUD. Bodies are complicated so you can never say exactly what the winning move was, but I think the difference for me was finally listening to my body and what it needed for better balance as well as taking our Estrogen Revive supplement, which helped boost my depleted estrogen from breastfeeding and marathon training.
Where I Got Off Track:
I’m an entrepreneur and I get excited about every new idea or opportunity. But this year, I tried to do a little too much all at once.
We made changes to our Hormone Wellness Test results page that we thought were a big improvement, but the new format just didn’t work for our customers. We quickly realized we had made a mistake and fixed it. I am excited to continue working to improve our results experience and build on the library of existing and emerging research that powers it to prioritize hormone health information for all test takers.
I relied on my phone too much. It’s hard not to constantly be available when you have kids and a new company, but I wish I had put down the phone and been fully present a little more often.
Speaking of being present, I didn’t plan for time to breathe. It may sound minor or silly, but I’ve learned that stopping for a minute to focus on breathing helps me get back into balance and avoid getting caught up in the whirlwind of life.
Sleep is one of the most important things we can do for our health and our hormones. I know this. Veracity preaches this to our community. But this year, I didn’t take this message to heart and prioritize sleep in my own life.
What I’m Doing Now:
I am working with a coach, both an executive coach and a running coach. I’ve realized that the benefits of a great coach are nothing short of life changing.
I am working on practicing neutral thinking. It’s so easy for many of us to fall into patterns of being too hard on ourselves, but thoughts are powerful and influence how we feel. I’m now trying to accept the things that happen without judgment.
I am acknowledging that everyone on my team, everyone in my life, and I have a physical body that has needs. When you’re hungry, you’re tired, or you’re feeling under the weather, you have to address and serve those needs before you can fulfill any higher objectives.
I’m forcing myself to start putting down that phone by planning phone-free date nights with my husband.
I am paying more attention to my body and tuning in to the activities and experiences that allow my mind to relax. And then I plan to do more of those things to give my brain a break.
Finally, I’m practicing an abundance mindset. I want to be open to every opportunity that comes my way in 2023!