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Life + Business + Creativity

with Whitney English

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February 15, 2019 by Whitney English Leave a Comment

Is the Pursuit of Beauty Useful?

When I was in high school, a friend gave me a book called, “Why Beauty Matters”. I read it, cover to cover, but didn’t feel like it ever answered the question it posed. In fact, I had even more questions about the concept of beauty.

Growing up in the church, I was always taught that inside beauty mattered more than outside beauty, so I just operated with the assumption that outside beauty didn’t matter at all. Even further down on the list would be material beauty, which I also had an unfortunate love affair with. I’ll skip the mascara, but give me a Louis XVI fauteuil covered in Scalamandre and I’m in heaven. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about there, just read: big words for a fancy chair.) If it was beautiful, it felt like an indulgence, no matter how much it cost. Things are supposed to be simple and humble — that is true “inside beauty.”

This brought on a huge amount of guilt. Who was I to want fancy chairs when there were people in need of water in this world? As a friend of mine once said to me, “What eternal purpose does it serve?” Perhaps I thought my love affair with beautiful material things could be justified by my lack of mascara and personal appearance. Now I see that I loved the things because I thought they gave me value; if I had stuff, people would pay attention.

I’m sure some people are motivated the same way by their physical appearance: if they were thin, people would love them.

I really, truly, didn’t care what others thought about when they looked at me, but I also didn’t care what I thought of me—and so I wasn’t very attentive to me, or my personal appearance. Every now and then I would do something to change my physical appearance: highlights or manicure or pedicure, but it didn’t matter if I maintained those things. They were temporary indulgences, not justifiable, and therefore, needed to be swept under the guilt rug with the fancy French chairs. For the past four years, you could ask any of my friends who saw me on a regular basis: I never wore makeup unless I had to be somewhere for work, at a speaking gig or trade show. I wouldn’t even wear makeup to go to local meetings, because those people would eventually see me as plain old Whitney soon enough—why put in the effort on the first day?

It didn’t matter how much science you used to try to convince me that there truly is never a second chance to make a first impression. The first impression didn’t matter; only the inside beauty mattered.

But a subtle shift started to happen a few years ago when I heard the headmaster at my children’s school mention a book called Beauty Will Save The World.

The title pulls its name from a line in a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, and it intrigued me. In the talk to a group of parents, the headmaster posed that we live in a culture of increasing relativism when it comes to both truth and goodness. The new definition of truth is whatever you make of it, and goodness is often justified as taking care of yourself above others. With so much heated debate, it’s hard to get people to agree. But if we can educate to beauty, if we can all agree on that, that maybe, we stand a chance.

I decided to dive more deeply into these concepts of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty and uncovered a world of ancient philosophy.

Down the rabbit hole, I went. Turns out that ancient philosophers [Read more…]

Filed Under: Design and Style, Faith and Family

February 1, 2019 by Whitney English Leave a Comment

Registration is Now Open for Mastermind 2019 Sessions

For years, I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on workshops, conferences, business consulting groups, retreats, and lectures. I was hoping to glean some wisdom that would help me grow my business in the right way and help me sort out a specific business problem I was having. I wanted clear and concise advice. I wanted someone to tell me what to do and to show me a clear path to building a sustainable business that supported the life I wanted to live.

I loved the idea of going to these conferences and meetings, but I often left overwhelmed, defeated that my business didn’t look or feel like the businesses around me. I was frustrated that I didn’t always get my specific questions answers, and frustrated more that I didn’t have anyone who got what I was going through to talk to about what my business was facing.

It’s not as simple as implementing best practices. Generic growth strategies don’t always work. Your business may not look or feel like everyone else’s because you aren’t like everyone else and your life doesn’t look and feel just like everyone else’s.

You need a proven method for your business. You need real, specific insight from the collective genius of successful business owners, at least that’s what I have always craved in these business conferences. You need help taking a hard look at who and where you are in your business and a chance to have honest, thoughtful conversations about the struggles you face as a business owner. You deserve to be heard and to have people in your corner helping you do the hard work of working on your business.

At Mastermind, you come with your biggest business challenges and leave with the next steps to grow your business.

This is the two-night getaway you need to focus on your business. 

  • Getaway to the beautiful Carlton Landing on Lake Eufaula and gain clarity outside the day-to-day of your business.
  • Gather with an incredible community of fellow entrepreneurs for valuable personal and professional growth.
  • Participate in the unique Mastermind format that generates the next steps you can take to grow your specific business.

I just announced the dates for my 2019 Mastermind sessions over on Instagram! I’ll be hosting four of these exclusive, intentionally small gatherings this year. They’ll be two in the spring and two in the fall. I would LOVE to have you join me in my community in Carlton Landing, Oklahoma!

Announcing the 2019 Mastermind dates!

March 6-8, 2019
April 10-12, 2019
October 16-18, 2019
November 13-15, 2019

This retreat is perfect for business owners of all shapes and sizes. Past attendees have included multi-level marketing executives, marketing consultants, product-oriented business owners, artists, interior designers, and boutique owners. I promise you’ll fit right in. You’ll gain the clarity you need to see the full potential of your business and the confidence that comes from being surrounded by and in fellowship with other entrepreneurs.

I want this to be the year you feel good about the growth of your business. I want to help you get unstuck, slogging through generic business advice, hoping that blanket suggestions work for your unique situation. At Mastermind, you’ll leave with a method of building and growing a business that you love.

Learn more about the 2019 Mastermind retreats and register today!

Filed Under: Biz Progress, Entrepreneurship, Events, Frustration, Intentionality, Marketing, Personal Development, Resources, Tools Tagged With: Business Consulting, Business Development, Mastermind, Mastermind Intensive, Personal Development, planning

January 25, 2019 by Whitney English Leave a Comment

Some of My Favorite Reads of 2019

I’ve been on a big reading kick lately. Between researching for and writing my own book and trying to read my kids 1,000 books this year, 2019 is shaping up to be a year of the written word. 

People often ask what I’m reading so I thought I’d share some of my favorites of the year so far. Please note I may make a small commission for books purchased through the following links.

A Life of Being, Having and Doing Enough
This book challenges you to think about things differently. It’s spiritual, rather than faith-based and while I don’t totally align with all he has to say, this was an encouraging read. 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
I know her show is all the rage right now but this book changed my life when it came out in 2014. We’re getting ready to move into a new house and attempting to declutter the house we’re in so it was time for a refresher and a reread of Marie Kondo’s method! 

The Art Forger
I love a good art heist movie so I had to give this fiction story a shot. It got boring in parts but I was able to speed through it and overall found it fairly enjoyable. 

Atomic Habits
I love reading about routines and habits and this book picks up where The Power of Habit left off. I LOVED it. While The Power of Habits was hard for me to get into, Atomic Habits had me enthralled from the beginning.

The Hope Quotient
I actually finished this book in December but I can’t stop thinking about its faith-based perspective increasing your level of hope. It talks about things you can do to increase the hope in your life. It’s such a motivational read. 

Chasing Slow
Erin’s writing is simply beautiful. This is a peaceful read, the perfect words to end each night before you go to bed. 

The Paleo Kids Cookbook
As you know, I’m on a health journey this year and trying to incorporate more paleo meals for the entire family. I grabbed this cookbook and think we’re going to start with the tortilla recipe because it looks delicious! 

Next up on my list is to reread Essentialism because it’s another good perspective shift for the new year. I also can’t wait to jump into The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant.

And that’s what I’ve been reading in 2019. I hope to continue sharing more of the books I’m reading and loving over on Instagram.

What have you been reading or what’s on your list to read this year? I’d love your recommendations!

Filed Under: Home, Personal Development, Planning, What I'm Into Tagged With: best books of 2019, book reccomendations, favorite books of 2019, favorite things, Whitney English reads

January 17, 2019 by Whitney English Leave a Comment

My Favorite Things: FASTer Way to Fat Lost

I spent a lot of time in the last year focusing on my health. It’s not simply that I want to lose weight, I want to feel good. I want a clearer, sharper mind so that I can take on big work projects that help change people’s lives. I want a body that will keep up with my busy life. I want to be an example to my children. I want to take care of myself so I can take care of my people (hello, H.E.A.R.T. goals in practice!). I’ll turn 40 this year and I want to feel stronger and better than I ever have!

A big part of my health journey was finding a diet program that worked for me. Enter FASTer Way to Fat Loss (FWTFL). I’m starting my third round next week and because I’ve gotten so many questions about this program, I wanted to answer a few of them here.

I went through the program twice last year and saw results both times. I lost 17 pounds in six weeks and felt absolutely amazing. When I’m following the principles of the program, I don’t feel deprived and I see results. What more could you ask for?

Now, let’s get to your questions and I’ll also share some tips if you want to try it yourself!

What is FASTer Way to Fat Loss?
FWTFL is a six-week program that uses carb cycling, intermittent fasting, and exercise to help you lose weight. When you sign up, you receive guides on workout routines, meal suggestions, access to private Facebook groups, and a workbook. Through the program, you’ll count your macronutrients and be instructed on carb cycling. This is a brand new way of thinking about what you’re consuming and it has truly transformed the way I make decisions about food. You can sign up for the next round of the program here.

Is FASTer Way to Fat Loss a keto (ketogenic) diet?
The short answer is no. FWTFL focuses on carb cycling, eating the right macros and nutrients, at specific times. Each day of the week has a designated carb intake level so some days are low carb days and other days are high carb days.

What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an eating style where you eat within a specific time frame and fast the remainder of the day. It has easily been my favorite part of this program. We’re programmed to think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day so I’ve always felt guilty about skipping breakfast in the past. When this program encouraged me to stop and think about intermittent fasting, something clicked. Plus, your willpower diminishes as the day goes on. It’s much easier to skip breakfast than to turn down a glass of wine at night (Can I get an amen?) I typically fast from 8 pm until noon the next day.

What about the workouts?
I can’t tell you that I’ve found great success with the workouts because I simply haven’t been doing them. And yet, I still lost 17 pounds in six weeks! The FWTFL team has great, cardio and HIIT/metabolic training workouts that you can follow along with. I am hoping to add these to my routine this next round to see how they improve my results.

If you’re starting out on your FWTFL journey, here are some great tips and tools that have helped me see success on the program.

Make My Fitness Pal your friend. Download the free My Fitness Pal app and get comfortable using it to track your food intake. I upgraded to the paid program so that I could get a better gauge on my macros.

Keep healthy food options around the house. We can map out the perfect meal plan and exercise routine yet still make bad decisions when we don’t have access to the right foods or we have easy access to the wrong foods. I have found that keeping healthy, FWTFL friendly options around the house was the best way to combat pitfalls. Here are some of my family’s favorites:

  • Pecan butter  – This is delicious on bread, fruit or straight out of the container on a spoon.
  • Lara Bars – I keep these in my purse and car as a great on-the-go option.
  • Zero carb bread – This is a great bread option for low carb days.
  • Nut butter – One of my family’s favorite nut butters!
  • Superfood Power Snacks – Another great on-the-go option or a quick one-bite snack.
  • Choc Zero Keto Bark – My absolute favorite chocolate treat that’s low carb, no sugar or sugar alcohol added. Buy, eat, repeat.

Prepare your closet. As I mentioned above, I don’t typically keep up with the workouts on FWTFL. That said, I find that if I lace up sneakers every day, I move more. Whether that’s taking a walking with my husband or playing with the kids, I’m more inclined to be on the move if I dress the part. I keep cute but comfortable clothes at the front of my closet so I can easily make good decisions when getting dressed in the morning. Cute because you feel better when you look better and comfortable to remove any excuse to not get moving. Here are a few pieces I’ve been loving lately:

  • Cute sneakers – These make me feel pulled together and ready to get to work at the same time. Plus, I get compliments every single time I wear them.
  • New Balance underwear – If you are like me, you need to be reminded that every few years it’s time to upgrade your underwear situation. This is your friendly reminder and these are a great option.
  • Terry Sweatshirt – Cute, comfy and affordable makes this sweatshirt a no brainer.
  • Supersoft Terry Long Sleeve Shirt – This top can be dressed up or dressed down, making it a mainstay in my closet.

Drink all the water. Every diet, weight loss plan or healthy living guideline tells you to drink more water. Not to be a broken record, but you need to drink more water. I find that when I’m hydrated, all systems work better. Drinking water is a keystone habit that will aid success in any healthy living journey.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read up on the FWTFL program here.

That’s it! Any other FWTFL questions? I’ll be sharing my FWTFL journey over on Instagram. I’d love for you to follow along and join me!

Filed Under: Motivation, Personal Development, Products, Resources, What I'm Into Tagged With: change, Friday Favorites, healthy living, life lessons

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Recent Posts

  • Is the Pursuit of Beauty Useful?
  • Registration is Now Open for Mastermind 2019 Sessions
  • Some of My Favorite Reads of 2019
  • My Favorite Things: FASTer Way to Fat Lost
  • Onsite Workshops: Our Coupleship and Living Centered Experiences

Recent Posts

  • Is the Pursuit of Beauty Useful?
  • Registration is Now Open for Mastermind 2019 Sessions
  • Some of My Favorite Reads of 2019
  • My Favorite Things: FASTer Way to Fat Lost
  • Onsite Workshops: Our Coupleship and Living Centered Experiences

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