Today is International Podcast Day! Did you know that I'm hosting my own podcast, The Sweat Fearlessly Podcast ? I'm also co-hosting the Fit Black Queens podcast! In this post, I'll be sharing some information about the podcasts I'm hosting, but also some great podcasts I've been listening to lately. The Sweat Fearlessly Podcast I have been having a blast  with this podcast! I've had the opportunity to interview some really interesting guests, and the mini-episodes have been a little therapeutic for me. I haven't published any of my Shrute Facts episodes, but I'm hoping to get a couple published before I wrap up this first season. 5 Most-Popular Episodes It's been really fascinating for me to see which episodes have resonated the most with listeners! These episodes are all very different, and they've even been marketed differently (or not even at all!), but they have all been on the main principle of the podcast: sweating fearlessly (check out t...

I love a big bowl of hearty soup in the fall! There's something about it that not only warms your belly but also warms your soul. Each fall, I make different variations of my butternut squash soup. This weekend, I decided to make a version that's a little spicier with a little extra zest to it.  Recipe Notes Roasting all of the vegetables and fruits before adding them to my InstaPot made a major difference. The flavors were more robust, and the consistency was just perfect.  I added turmeric and cayenne pepper this time around, and I love the flavor combination! The turmeric was a nice flavor addition over my original recipe; the turmeric quantity is such that the flavor is subtle, and the added health benefits  of this spice make this dish even more well-rounded. The cayenne pepper is optional, and you can even add extra if you'd like to kick it up a notch.  I used heavy whipping cream to give this soup more of a bisque quality, but you can eliminate this ingredient if you...

Over the weekend, I went to Trader Joe's and did my best not to turn into a pumpkin while I was in the store (and I mean that literally, not in the Cinderella kind of way). Anything you could possibly think of was pumpkin-spiced or pumpkin-infused, and I'm just perplexed. Pumpkin spices can be good (in moderation. Not every day!), but pumpkin itself ain't all that! I just don't get how  obsessive people get around the pumpkin, one of the most basic (and I mean that in the rude way) gourds of the fall. I mean, have you never heard of butternut squash?? Fortunately for me, I demonstrated restraint when it came to all of this aggressive pumpkin marketing (unlike what I did when the last royal wedding came around, and I bought all the English food) . I purchased exactly one pumpkin-related item, and I mostly purchased it so that I could save some bucks by not buying a certain drink from Starbucks every Thursday and Saturday morning.  I don't know the last time I shared...

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these specific links (noted below), I may receive a small commission. Let me just start by making this statement up front: If you are anti-mask, just go ahead and bounce up off this page because this ain't for you, dawg. I'm neither a doctor nor Dr. Fauci , so I'm not going to get into the science of wearing masks and transmission rates. If you're continuing to read this post, it's because you are curious about this particular mask and what I think about it. Now that it's just us here, let's get to it, shall we? Long story short: The Under Armour Sportsmask is a fantastic face mask for indoor cycling instructors, runners, hikers, and grocery shoppers. Can I call it the best face mask for working out? Well, I haven't tried every single style and brand out there, so I wouldn't go that far, but it's the best face mask I have and the one that I use the most for teaching my indoor cycli...

Next week, I'm running my first relay-ish race since my Ragnar Trail Relay last fall! Womxn Run The Vote is a virtual race, and the majority of my teammates (our team name is Don't Boo, Vote) are in other parts of the country, but it's still a "real" race to me!  So, A Virtual Race, Huh? It's funny because I almost never used to run virtual races before the pandemic. They didn't feel "real" to me. I think it's because you didn't have the energy and excitement of crowds and supporters, and you usually received the medal before actually completing the race. As Michael Scott once said , "well, well, well, how the turntables..." Now, virtual races are all I've got! In fact, some of these virtual races have encouraged me to run more than I think I would have if it weren't for the races. Nonetheless, I have not been great about running recently. So, You're Unprepared, Huh? You betcha! I think? I was really good about runn...

The weather is still pretty warm here in the D.C. Metro Area, and we still have an entire week until it's officially fall, but I have decided to give myself a jump start on my fall 2020!  I love to use the transition between seasons as a good time to check-in on my goals. I find that I'm mentally ready for a change when Mother Nature is, and what better time to reassess? The three main transitions I'm making right now are with my business, my goals, and my day-to-day life. It's funny because the way that these transitions are occurring is already drastically different; I am trying to simplify my day-to-day life, beef up my business processes, and outline and organize my goals.  Simplifying My Day-To-Day Life I started simplifying my day-to-day life before the pandemic, but I really kicked it up a notch once we had stay-at-home orders in place. I donated bags of items, got rid of things that I didn't need or couldn't use any longer, and really started assessing w...

  Can you believe it's already September? I know I can't! By the end of this week, it will be 6 months since social distancing guidelines were put into place. Six months from now, who knows where we'll be! One thing I do know, though, is that I have been on my grind. My mantra for the month of September is "Channel Your Inner Super Hero." As I mentioned in my Instagram Post (and in my weekly #ThursdayThoughts video), channeling your inner superhero is less about trying to do all of the things and leaping tall buildings in a single bound, and more about being proud of who you are, embracing confidence, and power posing your way to success and happiness. Body language really does communicate a lot - both to the outside world and to ourselves. I tell my indoor cycling students all the time, especially when we're in the midst of an especially difficult drill, to keep their chins up. Yes, it helps with your breathing, but it also helps with your mindset. The s...