Are you obsessed with the Almost 30 podcast yet? If not, you will be soon, especially after you read this amazing interview with one of the babes from the pod, Krista Williams. She’s a total inspirational wellness babe. We’re in love with Krista’s hustle, humor, realness and confidence. She has the best advice for transitioning in your twenties and thirties, leveling up your wellness game, investing in yourself, and so much more. Ya’ll will get so much out of this interview and we’re so stoked we got the opportunity to share this wisdom with you guys. Be sure to check out Krista William’s blog, Hundred Blog, Instagram, and listen to the podcast, Almost 30 on iTunes.
You’ve made a lot of big transitions in your life. Have you always been a naturally ambitious, driven person? If not, how did you make the shift and how do you keep your focus?
Aw thank you! Personally I would say that I didn’t understand how important all the transitions in my life were until recently. I used to get down on myself for always getting depressed when I was in the same situation or when I wasn’t growing and evolving for most of my life. I didn’t realize that its part of who I am (Pisces sun sign and Scorpio moon!) and really transformation is a key part of my identity. I grew up in Ohio and lived there for most my life, so until I became an adult and could evolve and make transitions on my own, it was hard!
Weird to say, but I’ve always been unafraid. For better or worse. I don’t know what it is about me, but I’ve always had an inner confidence, and knowing that if I work hard enough, I can get what I want. From a young age, I was working multiple jobs (at that time, so I could shop at the mall, ha) but I knew that I wanted to create a really full life for myself. Everyone has insecurities, and mine does not manifest as fear, so for that, I am lucky!
I would say that a shift happened when I started meditating. Doing so allowed me the mental capacity to manage it all, and not go crazy. What also helps me to focus is my practice of keeping health my number one priority. You cannot do your best if you’re tired, not eating well, managing your stress levels, and living a balanced life. Being plant-based, having all of the adaptogens, and focusing on fueling my body helps me to stay sharp and motivated. It can get expensive, but it’s worth it.
Also besides health, understanding the why behind why I am doing what I am doing is key: why I blog, why I podcast, why I hustle so hard…you have to always come back to why you’re working hard to remind yourself that it’s worth it.
What are five things anyone can do right now to improve their wellness?
1. Get your hormones tested if you’re a female
Getting my hormones tested changed my life! I’ve written about it a lot on Hundred Blog and we’ve talked about it on the Almost 30 Podcast, but it really gives you insight into so much that’s happening. Stress, fertility, weight, skin….it’s MAJOR! Mine were out of whack for a long time and it really affected my body image, my mood…so understanding the why really helped to change my life.
2. Start taking collagen
Literally changed my skin! It makes it so much more supple and dewy. I have it in my smoothies every day.
3. Cut out as much sugar as you can
Seriously, it also changed my skin! Plus really helps with mood swings, anxiety…it’s really hard to do but the benefits are life-changing.
4. Stop chewing gum
Stopping gum chewing really helped my digestion, reduce cravings and bloat! It really has no benefits I swear. It’s a little thing but a game changer!
5. Tongue scrape
Super easy and cheap! It helps to get rid of bad bacteria and makes your breath fresh!
What do your morning and evening routines look like?
In the morning, I get up and turn off my alarm which is in the other room. I have a 432 Hz song as my ringtone! I highly suggest that you have a wonderful lovely melody as your ringtone, something relaxing and that isn’t jarring in the morning!
If I wake up before my alarm, I will put my hand over my heart, and say thanks for waking me up, and waking me up next to Justin (the love of my life!) Corny and annoying, but true! ☺
After that, I will oil pull (with coconut oil, for 5 minutes) while my water heats up. I’ll drink hot water with Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon, to get things going and to give myself natural energy. It really helps with regulating your digestion, and skin as two examples.
Then I will try to chug water, and I’ll make a latte with Four Sigmatic and Laird Superfood Creamer (unsweetened) and Primal Kitchen Collagen Protein so it’s super creamy. Yes, I am all about the beverages in the morning, ha!
Sometimes if I had a dream, I’ll try to write it down, or I’ll do a gratitude journal every once in a while just to get myself centered.
From then, it’s usually meditation, just by myself, and if I can’t get into it, I will just pump myself up and tell myself I love me. ☺
Then it’s off to the races for the day! Usually, I walk to my workout (and catch up on emails and IG.)
For night, I love a good bath. I’ve been told by many psychics that I need to take more Epson salt baths to clear negative energy, so often taking a bath after work sets me up to relax for the night.
After that, I’ll put on comfy clothes, and foam roll or stretch with Justin and watch a show or two. If I am feeling good I’ll journal, but for the phone, it’s off by 8 pm, or I’ll get stuck in it and I don’t feel good doing that.
Sometimes there are nights when I am working late (like now) or I am out with friends, and that’s okay too, but for the most part, it’s bed by 9:30 pm! I LOVE to get a good eight hours. I get up around 5:30 or 6 am so bed early is KEY!
What are some time management tips you have for getting more done in a day?
– Meditate in the morning or at lunch to break up your day. It will also help with your brain clarity and ability to focus!
– Time block and gamify your day. I do this always! I always play games with myself. I say: see how many emails you can answer in 30 minutes, or if I am on a walk I’ll try to get my IG in for the day (during the hour walk). Make it fun!
– Use an app called moment to track your cell phone time ☺ This is really great to monitor how much time you could be ‘wasting’ on Instagram or other social platforms!
– Take breaks, lots of them! They are so helpful.
– Think realistically about what’s going on. So often people focus on the end goal too much and stress themselves out. You need to think about things broken out in very small increments and do a bit each day. Make goals, make checklists and give yourself time.
– Don’t freak out. It will all get done!
– Ask for help! Find people on your team or someone that you can hire to help you if they can do something better than you can! Use interns.com or a local college to get an intern to help you with tasks that you don’t enjoy or want to move on from.
– Eat well and manage your blood sugar so you can give each day you’re all.
– Do some work on the weekends! Crazy I know but if I do like 3 hours of work on the weekend (it’s always more but whatever, ha) I don’t feel as stressed Monday when the new work week rolls around. Try to break it up as much as possible.
– Learn to say no to shit that doesn’t matter and don’t look back ☺
We’ve seen you talk about investing in a photographer, and that you get things delivered to save time. What would you say are five things worth investing in for your future and five things that aren’t worth investing in?
Ah yes! My last point. So for me, a photographer is something I invest in. I need great quality photos regularly and now my photographers are some of my greatest friends. I also get meals delivered weekly, from Thistle, KleanLA or Sakara. Some are more expensive than others, but to know that I will have healthy meals available for me at any time is HUGE. I hate to think about what to eat, to go out to get it, and then just waste my time worrying about food, when I can get it sent. I don’t enjoy cooking or anything either.
For each person what you are going to what to invest in, and what you shouldn’t invest in are so unique to you. Some people LOVE cooking so that wouldn’t be something they’d get value from. But really take stock at your life, even your job, relationships, everything, and look at where you spend your time, what you value, and what you want, then see where you can invest to have a greater output. If you want to grow, in any way, you need to be able to do more, reach more people, have more time, so services like meal deliveries, or photographers in my case, help me to create a better outcome, and takes the pressure and onus off me to spend time doing things I don’t love to do!
It doesn’t have to be super expensive, but also for bloggers or creatives, get an intern! We have Chloe as an intern for quite some time (she is a paid employee now☺) but they are willing to help for college credit and can really use the experience!
A few ideas for things to invest in:
– Health: food, massages, workout gear to keep you motivated, gym memberships, therapy….
– Support: a virtual assistant, photographer, intern, employee…
– Systems: whatever your business needs, invest in good systems early on so you can grow! An example would be for the podcast we invested early in sound production and editing support. It seemed so expensive at the time but it was so worth it, so that we didn’t need to worry about it and could focus on the content!