Hey Ambitious Fam! This week absolutely flew by! I have been finding joy this week in the transformation of the trees. Flowering trees are gorgeous, of course, but I don’t think that we give enough credit to the return of vibrant green leaves. I’m looking forward to the return of color to our previously dull landscape.   

Here are five (other) things that gave me all the feels this week:

Bloomingdale’s All Access Fashion Show

I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THAT THIS HAPPENED! I walked in my first fashion show coordinated by a team of amazing women at Tysons. I traded in my signature sneaks for a low sandal and limped my way down the catwalk. The nerves were real, but seeing so many friendly, familiar faces in the crowd definitely made it easier. I covered the event on Instagram, but the feature photo (taken by my girl Andi) is definitely my favorite picture to come out of the event. I am so thankful for the opportunity to experience such a glam treatment with some gorgeous ladies!

Finding Joy in Travel

I am wayyy behind on podcast listening. However, I did come across this episode of the Inspired Women Podcast featuring lawyer turned travel blogger Jen Ruiz and I thought it was such a great listen! In the episode, Megan Hall and Jen Ruiz discuss Jen’s switch to travel blogging and how she challenged herself to take 12 trips in 12 months before turning 30 (she exceeded that number btw). Totally sounds like something I would do (who knows, might need to add that to my 30 before 30 list). Jen also provides a lot of information about how to travel solo, often, and cheaply. Lastly, the pair discusses the importance of following your bliss. Give the episode a listen here.

First Black Hole Images

Elementary school Cierra is screaming in excitement about this black hole news. I was always fascinated by the idea of a black hole and I still vividly remember my 6th grade science project on the topic. Recently, a huge leap has been made in black hole research. The first (ever!) photograph of a black hole was released this week and it is pretty cool. Even cooler? It was the work of a graduate student (along with several other scientists) that helped make the whole thing possible! Friendly reminder to check on your grad school friends. They are tired, stressed, and maybe on the brink of some groundbreaking work!  Learn more here!

Ariana Grande Brain Scans

Following the tragedy at her Manchester concert, Ariana Grande has been open about her battle with anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Yesterday, the singer released images of her brain scans in her Instagram story. The images demonstrated what a “normal” brain looks like, a PTSD brain, and then her brain in comparison. I bumped one of my other topics for this week because I admired how Ariana’s candidness about her struggles with mental health could be helping reduce some of the stigma associated with anxiety and PTSD. Mental health is such an important topic that too many people lack education on. I appreciate how actions, no matter how small, prompt conversation and hopefully better understanding.

#JourneyThroughMyShoes

Lastly, I am thrilled to announce that I am featured on the Lemonade Press Blog today! Caitlin, the amazingly sweet blogger behind Lemonade Press Blog, has a monthly blog series in which she interviews others to share their journey. She does so because she believes that everyone has an amazing story to tell and she hopes by sharing them, it could help someone else on their journey. Before you read my interview, check out Caitlin’s introduction post (here) about why she started the series. Then, make sure that you check out my #JourneyThroughMyShoes interview here!

Have a great weekend!