July was a month of transition. I decided to protect my peace and finally address some of the relationships that had been troubling me for a while. This month I also got to spend tons of quality time with my bestie, see some great movies, and hide from the overwhelming heat that is a DC summer. Did you know that July may have been the hottest month ever recorded on Earth!? No wonder I was perfectly content with staying in the A/C this month.

Here are my other reflections for the month of July:

One

I already talked about the greatness that was Spider-Man: Homecoming in this post, but it deserves a second mention. The movie soothed some of my fears about the future of the MCU (along with all of the San Diego Comic-Con International announcements!). This definitely won’t be the last Marvel movie on my monthly bucket lists. My only disappointment comes from the long wait until the next movie. 

Two

After watching the first of Rachel Hollis’ Life Coaching sessions, I was left wondering why I waited so long. It felt a little weird to be watching a video meant to be watched in January in July, but I still found it very useful. The coaching session actually reminded me of some of the goals I had and lit a little fire to pursue them even harder. My new goal is to eventually catch up with the live schedule and actually try to catch it live. That’s 14 hours of content that I need to work through, so wish me luck!

Three

We made it through Plastic-Free July! Shout out to all of my Ambitious Fam that kept up with me via my PFJ weekly newsletters. I am going to be sharing my thoughts on the challenge in a blog post soon, so stay tuned for that! For now, I can definitely say that I learned a lot about my own consumption and just how much we waste as a society. My favorite part about this challenge was being able to share my discoveries with others in an effort to inspire easy environmental switches. According to the Plastic Free July’s data, about 230 million participated in the challenge worldwide this year. That’s amazing!! If those 230 million people are, like me, planning on continuing to reduce their single-use plastic consumption, then, just maybe, the world is on its way to being an environmentally better place. 

Four

All of my experimentation with vegan options over the last year has finally paid off! It was much easier to eat a vegan diet one day a week this month than it has been in the past. All it takes is a little preparation and yummy recipes to look forward to. I did have to strategically place the day so that I was more likely to be in an environment that I could control and less likely to experience temptation. That being said, I am still not sure that a pure vegan life is right for me. I rather balance my diet with vegan and plant-based options than commit to a full vegan day. However, it felt great to know that I was positively impacting the environment in more ways than one this July. 

Five

While this wasn’t on my bucket list, another big thing that happened this month was the airing of my podcast episode! I chatted with Megan Hall of the Inspired Women Podcast about my story surrounding getting comfortable with modification. On her podcast, Megan talks with women around the world who have inspiring stories to share. What I like about her podcast is that the stories aren’t sugar-coated or censored; they talk about real and tough issues that women have experienced. I recorded my podcast several months ago, so it was surreal to actually hear it for the first time! The Inspired Women Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and iHeart Radio. I would love for you to give my first podcast interview a listen!

This month I completed 4 out of 6 items on my July Bucket List. I didn’t make it in, near, or even around water OR a thrift store this month. Summer is fleeting, but there is still some time left for me to experience what warm weather has to offer. 

Stay tuned for my August Bucket List!