2024

In this final episode of Season 1 of Girl Gone Vocal, the host shares her top 23 things from the year 2023. She talks about her love for water skiing and weightlifting, which has helped her in her recovery from an eating disorder. She also discusses the importance of learning to stay in and not always go out with friends, as well as the value of traditions in her life. Other things she mentions include her love for sushi, cooking and baking, snuggling with her dogs, and the importance of therapy and reaching out for support. She also highlights the joy of reconnecting with old friends and sending "I miss you" texts. Hey guys, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here for this final episode of Season 1 of Girl Gone Vocal. Today is the last day of 2023, which is just absolutely crazy to say. Tomorrow is 2024, which is just beyond me. But today, for the final episode of this season, I wanted to share my top 23 things from the year 2023. So, this list consists of things that I enjoyed for myself, things that are like the ins that were 2023. I know a lot of people are doing the ins and out trends for 2024. This list has a wide variety of things, so get cozy, listen up, and here is my list. Okay, so number one on this list has to be water skiing. If you know me, you know that I love the summer, I love to boat, and I love water skiing. While this seems like a silly little thing that you do in the summer, for me, it was such an outlet when going through hard times. It was also just a bonding experience I had with my dad, and it just brought me a lot of joy, and that is definitely something that I look forward to in the next year. So, this next one, number two, kind of goes along with the hobbies of water skiing. So, in 2023, I picked up weightlifting. I picked up Olympic weightlifting with a team called Empowered RX. I can talk about them for hours, but that's not what this episode is about. Weightlifting, for me, has really filled the void that I had that gymnastics kind of filled when I was in high school and even before that. I missed the competition aspect of things, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone with weightlifting has let me just be myself in just so many different ways possible. It has also just furthered my recovery from an eating disorder. Weightlifting, for me, it really helps me figure out being strong rather than being skinny, which I know is a very complicated topic for a lot of people. For me, weightlifting, when I had my competitions, it was really cool to see that the people that weighed more lifted more, which was super motivating as I continued my weightlifting journey and my recovery journey. So, obviously, in 2024, I'm going to continue weightlifting. I'm going to continue to get stronger. I'm going to continue to feel more. I'm going to continue that new love that I found for that sport. So, number three I kind of talked about in a previous podcast, but number three is definitely learning how to stay in on a night that maybe your friends are going out. So, in college, this can be a super tricky thing, especially because of FOMO. I have a big case of FOMO all the time, but I have learned that sometimes staying in is what's best for me and what's best for what I'm feeling in the moment. If I'm tired, if I'm worn out, I don't want to just drink my way through the tiredness. A more productive thing to do is to just stay in and not go out. And, of course, I go out every once in a while, and I do enjoy it, but staying in for the night is not always a bad thing, and it's kind of a lesson I've learned. And, yes, I'm only 20 years old. I'm a sophomore in college, but learning that it's okay to stay in on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday night is just such a valuable tool to learn. And, let's be real, you're not going to be missing out on a whole lot on that one night. At least at human age, pretty much every night going out is the same to some extent. So, just really listening to your inner values and listening to your body that going out that night might not be the best option. The next thing is my Revlon hairbrush. Oh my god, this is so random that this is on this list, but my Revlon hairbrush has literally saved me time, money, my hair. It is literally the holy grail of hair, if you don't know what I'm talking about. It's like a blow-dry hairbrush, and I have crazy hair, and this thing gets my hair looking good in like 10 minutes top. Yeah, I just wanted to throw that out there. It's literally the best thing ever, and a little self-promo. It's in my Amazon storefront. If you want to check that out, I will link it below. Okay, so going off from physical things, something that I really value in life is traditions, and I am such a fiend for a tradition. I don't celebrate Christmas, and I know Christmas is such a big tradition for so many families. But for me, just little traditions with anything, I just find it so wholesome and something that I need in my life. Even small traditions like a Sunday reset where you clean on Sunday, you get all your homework done, you are productive on a Sunday. Even that weekly tradition, it just kind of keeps me going and keeps me looking forward to things. And on the other hand of like maybe not so like a productive tradition, but maybe going out to the movies once a week. I know that can get expensive, but or even like a small tradition like every morning you go grab a cup of coffee, and that is like your one thing each day that you know that you are going to do, and that kind of stands throughout like your week. I also love big traditions with your family and your friends, maybe like a little wine Wednesday every Wednesday, or just something small to look forward to that you do every single whatever period of the time is. I think it's just so wholesome, and I just love traditions. I can't even say enough about them. Okay, number six is sushi. I just had to put this in there. I am on such a sushi kick right now. Like I cannot get enough of it. It makes my heart so happy just eating a roll of sushi, so I had to throw that in there. Number seven has to be cooking dinner or just cooking meals in general. I find such a love for cooking meals for other people, even cooking meals for myself. Just like having that finished product just be so amazing, even if it isn't amazing. Just the process of cooking and the process of experimenting and tasting things and trying new things is just so fun to me, especially maybe when you're cooking with family or friends. It can be like a bonding experience, and I just find it so fun to try new recipes and try new foods. And cooking has definitely also like enhanced my recovery as I get to see what goes into things and try out new things that I might not have tried before, and it just has opened up a whole new world for me. To tie onto cooking, number eight has to be baking. Baking sweets is one of my favorite things to do, especially in the winter when you bake. A nice warm cookie skillet is my favorite with some ice cream on top. Just the smell of it in the house when it's baking just makes it just ten times better. Having bake-offs with friends or family, it just adds to the experience, and just everything about baking just is such good vibes, and I know I don't celebrate Christmas, but I can only imagine cooking Christmas cookies. I can only imagine baking Christmas cookies in the winter when it's snowing. Just ten out of ten. Okay, number nine is snuggles with my dogs. I know not everybody has a dog and not everybody likes snuggling, but for me, touch is like my number one. Touch for me is such my love language, and I just obviously love my dogs so much. And being home from college, I just try and spend every moment with them that I can, and obviously dogs don't live forever, so spending those quality times with your pups, it just makes my day. Also, having a tradition with that, like maybe you sleep with your dog every night, has just made my night so much better sleeping with my dog. Number ten has to be my favorite one, therapy. I love therapy, and if you are not in therapy, regardless of if you are doing well mentally, if you're doing poor mentally, therapy is just a time where you just get to rant and talk about anything that you want, and your therapist will just listen and give you advice. And it's honestly my favorite day of the week, and I look forward to it. And yes, it is sometimes challenging to find a therapist that you click with, but once you click with them, it is just night and day. I went through so many therapists, and it's now finding my current therapist. It's just such a happy day, because I get to just talk about what I want to, and she won't talk back to me, so I just love therapy. Okay, number eleven obviously doesn't come naturally, but reaching out for support when you need it, whether it be a friend, a parent, a therapist, anybody. When you're having a hard moment, even if you just want to talk to them, even if you just want a distraction so you're not stuck in your head, it's just going to make such a difference. Even if that person isn't like a certified professional that knows how to handle everything possible, just having someone in your corner and someone that can listen or somebody that can distract just makes such a difference when going through a hard time, because going through a hard time alone makes things ten times worse. Since I've been in college, I've kind of lost touch with some of my high school friends and my friends from back home. So number twelve is connecting with friends that I haven't seen in a while or talked to in a while. So connecting with people that were from your childhood can be just like such a heartwarming feeling as they could remind you and bring you back to a happy time in your childhood. Having the ability to catch up with somebody on how they're doing, on how you're doing, can just be such a fun experience for both of you. And of course, reaching out to old friends. It can be awkward at some times because you haven't talked in a while, but once you feel that feeling that you once felt with them, it's just going to be so worth it. And wouldn't you feel so nice if you got a text from somebody that you haven't talked to in a while and they're like, want to catch up? I feel like it's just something that you could do to make them happy and also yourself happy. Thirteen kind of ties along with that, but sending I miss you texts. So this could be with a friend that you haven't seen in a while, maybe a parent while you're at college. But just saying that I miss you and that I'm thinking about you will make their day. Trust me. Number 14, taking long showers after a long day. For me, I have always just loved getting in a warm shower, doing all of my like full shower, doing a full shower, getting super squeaky clean. And you just feel so reset after that and especially after a long, hard day. Just having that moment to yourself. You're not going to be on your phone in the shower. Maybe you're listening to music, but just having that time to think to yourself and just kind of be in a warm, peaceful place is always super helpful to me after a long day. Number 15 is hibachi or like dinner with a show. I have always loved hibachi and yes, because the food is amazing, but also it's just like a fun way to like do something different with friends rather than just like going to a regular restaurant. I mean, the negatives of hibachi, you can't really talk with your friends as much, but it's definitely still a fun experience with delicious food. I've always loved it and it's always just so fun when I go with my friends and family. Okay, so number 16 has been a very strong thing that has been in my life in 2023 in that it's finding a group of friends with similar struggles or going through similar things as you. For me this year, I found the amazing community of EmpoweredRx. I know I talk about it literally every podcast, but I can't stop raving about it. But EmpoweredRx is a group of women of all ages who are recovering from eating disorders and they started to weight lift. So that is like kind of who I weight lift with. So finding just a group of strong women who have been through similar things that I've been through, who I can just openly talk with my experiences with, is just such a positive and useful thing with whatever you're going through. Now I know sometimes it can obviously be hard finding that group of people who have been through similar things that you have, but we're lucky to stay in age. We have the World Wide Web, and I'm sure with whatever you're going through, you are not alone and there are other people that want to talk to people like you. Literally you can probably do a quick Google search and be like, how to find people that are going through X, Y, and Z? And you can definitely connect with them. There's Facebook groups. There's Instagram. There are ways that you can get connected with people that are going through similar things, and it really does make night and day. Now of course, you have to be careful with that sometimes if things can get a little tricky and triggering and such, but once you find the right people, it is just so worth it. Okay, so number 17 obviously is a little bit harder. Sometimes it costs a little bit of money, but getting a new skincare routine. For me, like until this year, I had been using the same skin products that were most definitely expired from like middle school. And once I got a new skincare routine and got in the routine of doing it every night, I just felt so much better going to bed with a clean face, a clean body. It just made such a difference with a small tweak of things. And you don't have to go to Sephora and buy like a million expensive products. You can literally go to TJ Maxx and buy a new moisturizer. It just makes you feel so much more put together and just kind of ends the day off right. Okay, number 18 I could literally talk about for six hours straight, but I'm going to contain myself, but Taylor Swift. I know everybody's like she's just over popular, and everybody talks about her, blah, blah, blah, blah. Taylor Swift literally has saved me, and you can't tell me otherwise. This woman has been through so much in her life, and she is now like the most loved person. She literally got time of the person of the year. Like I'm sorry, if you hate her, don't even be listening to my podcast. Click off and unfollow me because I don't want to be around your energy. I'm kidding, but she just like has brought me so much joy. I know that sounds so cliche, but she is like connecting me with other people who are Swifties, and we have just become super close and kind of bonded over it. And it's not just all about her music. Yes, her music is freaking amazing, and it's all I listen to, but it kind of just bonds people, and I feel like a lot of people go through the same things with just feeling alone, and like she just like brings people together. And I went to the Ares Tour this year, and it was just the most positive experience. Everybody was so nice there, and I would do literally anything in my power to go again. So if you're selling tickets, please let me know because I will spend my entire bank account on them. But not to flex on everybody right now, but I actually went to the Patriots Chiefs game, and Taylor Swift blew a kiss at me and my friend. So I'm still recovering from that, so I will not shut up about that yet. But she just like brings people together, and just she's just amazing, and I could talk about it for hours. I'm going to stop right now, though. All right, 19, just like long car rides with the windows down, with the music blasting. It can be with or without friends. Just something about getting on the road and just driving is just so therapeutic and gets me out of my head. I'm obviously not on my phone. I'm listening to music. It just kind of is very freeing, and obviously it's winter right now, so I usually don't open the windows, but sometimes I'll let the sunroof go down. And it's just such a thrilling and freeing experience to just get off my electronics and just with my awful voice, I sing as loud as I possibly can. And it's even better with friends, but I just love driving so much, and I'm just so thankful that I have the opportunity to have a car and be able to do these things because it's really, truly life-saving. Number 20, obviously this comes with an expense, but concerts. So growing up, when I was like not doing well mentally, I had a really hard time going to concerts because I was so anxious the whole time that something bad would happen, and ever since that I've been doing better mentally and I've been less anxious lately, concerts have been the most just amazing thing. Like I can't shut up about every concert that I went to this summer. Whether you're in the front row or the back row or listening from outside the venue, just hearing your favorite artist live, there's just something about it that just itches my brain in the right way. This kind of ties into number 21, but spending money on experiences rather than materialistic things. This past year I've spent most of my spending money on concerts, and I truly wouldn't want it any other way. I still have those memories, and those memories are going to last a lifetime. Wear a shirt you might wear a few times, and then you get sick of it and you throw it out or you give it away. I think that this is definitely something that I want to bring more into 2024 and do less shopping and spend more of my money on experiences, whether it's concerts, it's movies, it's going for car rides and using your gas money. I think that is just way more valuable than getting a sweatshirt that you really like or some pants that are in trends now. All right, we're almost at the end here. Number 22 is resting my body when it needs to be rested. This is also something that was learned over time and something that I had to get used to, but when my body needs the rest, I can feel it. I can feel sometimes I'll feel sick, sometimes I'll be achy, sometimes I'm just really not feeling it. These are the days that I prioritize my self-care and I prioritize sleeping in or going to bed early rather than either pushing myself to go to the gym or pushing myself to do that extra schoolwork that isn't really due tomorrow but I felt the need that I had to do. Having days of self-care is just so important, and this is something that I'm really, really still working on to this day. So I'm preaching to the choir here, but having days that you do stuff for yourself and not necessarily do stuff for others or do stuff that is quote-unquote productive is going to make a difference and I'm really just trying to listen to myself with this one because I am definitely going to try and bring that into the new year. All right, last but not least, number 23 is just to enjoy yourself. Enjoy this short life that you have. You are only on earth for a really short amount of time, so why not reach out to that friend? Why not go see that concert? Why not go hang out with your family? Life is so short and so precious. Don't spend every day stressing about your next day, stressing about your job, stressing about school, stressing about money, stressing about family, relationships. Just live your life the way you want to live it. Don't stress about the way you look, what you're eating, how much you're exercising. At your funeral, the speeches are not going to be about, oh, my God, she was so skinny. She had the best body ever. Oh, my God, she was really, really, oh, my God, she was really, oh, my God, she was really consistent with what she ate. She ate, quote, unquote, healthy. She was consistent with working out. They're not going to say that at your funeral. At your funeral, you're going to want people to say, she lived her life to the fullest. She made great memories. She made great friends. She made a positive impact on people. That's all that matters. Life is so short. Do what you love. Hang out with the people that mean the most to you. Hang out with people that fill your bucket. Just be yourself. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you for continuously supporting me with my podcast and everything that I've been doing. I have lots of stuff planned and lots coming in 2024. I'm super excited for that. I hope you guys have a great New Year's and a great start to 2024. I love you all so, so, so much. I will see you next time. I will see you guys in 2020. I will see you guys in 2024.