Today I had the opportunity to see Michelle Obama speak at Dreamforce, and wow what a changemaker she is. Michelle spoke eloquently on the topic of gender equality, while punctuating her main points with approachable humor. I have always been a huge fan of Michelle, but to see her live is quite a novel and impactful experience. Her speech inspired me to think more about my goals: I want to inspire other women to dream bigger, do more and stand up for gender equality. Michelle spoke about the reason women have so much self doubt: because society tells us to. We have fears of inadequacy because that is the narrative that has been dictated to us, implicitly and explicitly, over time. I have been in meetings where the men at the table don't take me seriously because I'm young and a "girl". I have been at dinners where male servers only address the male participants. I have been told that I'm only successful because of the way that I look. I have been told that I have nothing more to offer the world than my appearance. No wonder it's taken me awhile to understand the true power of my mind and potential. If you are like me and doubt yourself constantly, stop. It's not you that is inadequate but rather the people who tell you, you can't. Or as Michelle names them, haters. 

I recently reached 4,000 followers on Instagram and decided to celebrate with a quick, 60-second AMA! I love that these questions came from my follower fam, if you like short edits like this let me know in the comments. XOXO

My YouTube fam has been allll about my hauls lately, so here's a huge Zara haul full of fall must-haves! Enjoy. XOXO

Who else is obsessed with Free People? Really I can't get enough of that store. I recently shopped a major haul with Free People and filmed a full try on too. If you're interested in how-to style these pieces head over to my YouTube, right here. 

Is anyone else really feeling overalls this year? I've been living in my black BLD overalls all summer long and this fall I have NO intention of stopping. A cashmere turtleneck or chunky knit sweater layered with these bad boys will be my go-to daytime look. Anyhow, I garnered a request on YouTube asking me to style overalls in 10 different ways and thought it was an awesome idea. Click here to watch it + let me know what you think in the comments below!

If you're like me, one of my favorite shopping hauls of the year is back to school! So happy I could partake this year as I start UC Berkeley for my MBA. I've purchased all items from Urban Outfitters, see links below. Happy BTS!

Bodysuit (similar)
Fight like a girl tee 
Rebel with a cause
Overalls (similar)
Denim Culotte (similar)
Mom Jeans
Turtle Neck
Adidas

You know how some friends look good in EVERY photo?! Like is it witchcraft and how can we learn? I was someone who hated taking photos for much of my life because I didn't know how to work my angles, I mean I didn't know I had angles... not to mention tips and tricks. Now that I've accumulated a lot of top secret knowledge I wanted to share it with you all! Here's to invisible heels and much more! XOXO

This summer has been punctuated with personal growth. In June, I gave up my full-time job in pursuit of blogging adventures and earning my MBA at UC Berkeley. I've had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I went from a steady paycheck and a job that was widely accepted by peers and family to pursuing something very few individuals understand - social media as a career. I know it's been difficult for the people around me to adjust. It all comes from a good place, fear for me and fear of uncertainty. It's hard to standby and watch someone close to you eschew societal norms. Some of them are probably thinking I've had a mental breakdown of sorts, ha. But the truth is I've had the dream of doing Instagram and YouTube full-time since 2010 or so, BUT my practical side said NO and that corporate jobs were steady, not to mention, who knows what the social landscape will look like in a few years. So I proceeded down a well accepted path, and while it had some glam moments like red carpet opportunites at the Golden Globes, I was miserable. I was miserable because I was chasing someone else's dream. I was miserable because I was putting other people's expectations and happiness above my own. I was miserable because my "people pleaser" self was running my life. Now that I've made the jump, of course I'm anxiety ridden, like OMG what if this was a HUGE mistake?!! But most days, I feel a sort of calm that is new to me, a calm or inner knowing that I'm on the right path. That this detour I've embarked on is exactly where I should be. Who the heck knows what the future holds? I certainly don't.... but I'm beginning to revel in the uncertainty as I find my way to happiness.

I was so inspired by Sacramento's Wide Open Walls 916 activation, whereby artists from all over the world took part in creating evocative murals around the city, utterly transforming abandoned spaces. Here I'm posing in front of Beatnik Studios and a piece by Micah Crandall-Bear. This photo which you can see on the @wideopenwalls916_ Instagram account, is just one example of the amazing caliber of artists that were showcased via this activation. Coming from LA, I love that Sac is embracing the culture of art and inciting more community involvement -- so many residents explored new parts of the city to find distinct Wide Open Walls 916 murals. I love when art spurs art and that's exactly what happened here!