When I first went freelance back in 2009, a mentor of mine invited me to a vision boarding workshop. At the time, I thought the idea was a little “out there,” but I wanted to be a successful entrepreneur and admired her so I went. Fast forward to today and I create or update my vision boards several times per year. Here are some strategic ways to create a vision board in order to accomplish your goals.
I just completed my final week of school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and passed my final! The last guest lecture I had, by Marie Forleo, couldn't have come at a better time in my life. As a friend of Gabby Bernstien, I've been following her work for quite some time and found this particular lecture to be super helpful and a great way to finish. Here are her five steps to unstoppable success. I hope you enjoy them as much as i do.
I just left yoga class and was super inspired by something my teacher, Julie Pasqual, said so I felt the need to share it. Her theme throughout class came from this saying, "When you complain, you're signing a contract for sadness." Wow. The reminder that we can control our level of happiness hit me hard.
Enlightened and refreshed. That's exactly how I feel right now after getting home from a Philosophy event where Gabby Bernstein spoke for an hour about manifesting. It's been almost two years since I first met the self proclaimed spirit junkie over breakfast and thanks to her guidance, influence and inspiration, I've learned how to see through the eyes of love, manifest my wildest dreams and live in my most authentic truth. Tonight, she shared her six rules for manifesting and so of course it's my duty, to share them with you, too.
Recently in a yoga workshop with, Stacey Brass-Russell, a Certified Health & Life Coach, she mentioned the idea of creating “10 Paradigms for Teaching Yoga.” I loved it. Writing my 10 standards allowed me to clearly see where my teaching values lied and I thought, everyone should do this – for life. Therefore, I spoke with Stacey about the value of creating “10 Paradigms for Life” and with the turn of the new year, now is a perfect time to get out your journal and tune in. Here’s the deal…
If you follow me on my social media profiles, then you saw that People magazine recently told my story of the adoption scam that happened to Joe and I. After reading my blog post. The Adoption Scam on the News Happened to Us, an editor contacted me for an interview and I thought my quotes were going to be part of a bigger story on scams. I was surprised and excited to see it was published as a piece just highlighting our story. My hope is that telling my story on a bigger level will help others and my full inbox has proved that it’s working. I’m so glad I can use my experiences on my journey to motherhood to connect with other women.
Today I had the pleasure of visiting my friends at NBC to do another segment on New York Live with Sara Gore and Jacquie Reid. It was so much fun, because I brought Amaya with me (and mom, of course) to meet the team. It was the first time I got to show off my baby girl in a work environment and I couldn’t be prouder. Anyway, here’s the segment in case you missed it. Out of all of the top beauty sellers on Amazon, these are my favorite and they’re all under $20.
I couldn’t begin to explain this situation to you guys earlier, because I didn’t think i’d be able to capture the cruelty appropriately and to be honest, it’s exhausting to revisit and I haven’t had the energy. However, the BBC recently came out with this article, “The Fake Baby Adoption Scam,” and there it was. You might have seen it or seen the segments about it on morning TV shows by now. It happened to us – that girl, those false promises, that scam.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking a workshop with my teacher’s teacher, Raghunath, at Hudson Yoga Project in Hoboken. My teacher, Patrick, has been raving about him and his work since I started practicing with him years ago and now I finally get it. He is inspiring, intelligent, cultured, creative and encouraging. Before our handstand workshop, he spoke to reincarnation, the soul’s purpose (to love) and labels we give ourselves, which I found extremely interesting. Here’s some food for thought…
Amaya is now three months old and I finally caved and got a true diaper bag. After months of using my trusty MZ Wallace or LV totes, I was craving compartments. After getting a ton of recommendations for diaper bags that don’t scream diaper bag on Instagram, I narrowed my search down to three backpacks and finally found the one. A backpack was the way to go for me, since it gives me free hands when I’m carrying her. Plus, I already had totes I like that I bought an organizer for. Here are the finalists.
I was so excited to have the opportunity to host a field segment with NBC’s New York Live this month. Did you catch it? Featuring Daily Harvest, I interviewed the Founder, Rachel Drori all about the brand and fell in love with it myself! The food is convenient and delicious! Check it out.
We spoke to Martin Seligman, the father of modern positive psychology, who talks about the idea behind the “three happy lives;” which are individual pursuits that recognize your highest strengths (via this easy survey quiz) and use them to maximize your experiences. Read on for more about these lives and how to get the most out of them.
For June’s JM Approved on NBC New York Live, I had the opportunity to showcase my favorite summer travel items. From easy grab-and-go meals to baby carriers, I covered a range of items. Check out the segment here!
My Instagram DM’s have been blowing up with questions about the adoption process ever since Joe and I announced the arrival of Amaya. I love connecting with women in such a positive way, sharing our story and helping to navigate the the tough decisions that come up. Here is a comprehensive guide to the adoption process. Whether you’re looking into International adoption, domestic adoption through an agency or private domestic adoption, I have you covered. Joe and I touched upon all three…
If you’re considering private domestic adoption, I encourage you to check out our team. Let’s call them, Team Lombardi. Throughout the months of waiting and countless potential birth mom connections, they were by our side for support and guidance. Being that our adoption happened very quickly (we found out we had a baby when the birth mom was in labor!), they all worked overtime to make sure things were done as quickly and efficiently as possible. We couldn’t be happier with the people we chose to work with.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you saw the announcement that Joe and I recently welcomed home our newly adopted baby girl, Amaya Jo (more in the Insta post)! We are over the moon, full of love and joy and I couldn’t be more excited to share the news with you! As I sit here to write this, I realize I have so much to share, but am going to do so over a series of several posts on the adoption process. This one is from the heart on my journey to motherhood and what it truly means to me now.
You guys, it’s been ten years since I launched my blog! At the time, writing about my addiction to dying my hair the bluest shade of black (my first post ever) on BeautySweetSpot was a hobby. I was working full-time at a beauty PR firm in the city and missed writing editorially. I loved my first job as a beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan and was in the process of interviewing for a similar position at another publication. All of a sudden, thanks to the support of the beauty industry, my blog took on a life of its own.
Yesterday on NBC’s New York Live I showcased some of my favorite spring cleaning tips. From jewelry organizers to an easy way to clean out your closet and make some money, check them out here.
This year is a huge year for my business. I just hit my 10-year blogging anniversary and September will mark 10 years as an entrepreneur with my own media company. Thanks to the guidance of my father (also an entrepreneur), support of my family, husband, friends and agent and close-knit industry relationships, I did it.
In honor of International Women's Day, I reached out to some of the women in beauty who inspire me the most. These are the thought-leaders who have created products and built brands beyond their wildest dreams on their definitions of success.
When it comes to wellness, there’s always something new and trendy popping up. Today, I shared my top skincare, travel, yoga and food picks with Sara Gore and Jacquie Reid of NBC’s New York Live. Check out the segment here.
March 8th, I’m moderating a panel of inspiring women that we’re calling V Empowered at the Marmara Park Avenue. Cocktails and networking starts at 6pm and the panel will go from 7-8:30. I’ll be interviewing leading ladies such as Cindy Barbershop (V Spot Medi Spa Founder), Heather Anderson (New York Pilates Founder), Jasmine Lobe (J-Spot Columnist for The Observer), Jordan Salcito (Ramona and Bellus Wines Founder), Polly Rodriguez (Unbound CEO), and Stephanie Prida (Pastry Chef at The Grill). Read more to get tickets. Hope to see you there!
When I first learned of YO1, an Ayurveda-inspired holistic wellness center nestled on 1,300 acres of property in the Catskills, I couldn’t wait to see what it was all about. As a yogi I know a bit about Ayurveda, an Indian system of medicine focusing on using nature to heal oneself, but was excited to learn more and dive in. Joe and I were invited to experience all the center has to offer over a weekend and were beyond impressed by the service, practitioners, meals, programming and property. I knew as soon as we walked in that I was in the right place when the front desk concierge greeted us by saying, “Namaste.”
I’m excited to partner with Athleta in Hoboken to teach a donation based class for the Liberty Humane Society. There’s nothing better than being able to combine my love for teaching yoga with my passion for helping animals. The class will be Sunday, March 10th at 10am at the Athleta store on Washington St. As a bonus, Athleta will be having a Friends & Family sale! Suggested class donation is $15. Hope to see you there!
Earlier this month, I shot a yoga series at the New York Public Library in Bryant Park as part of a new project showcasing my journey through life. I feel most alive when I’m practicing yoga and when I’m surrounded by places of inspiration. When there’s beautiful architecture and light, the yoga flows naturally and images speak volumes. Here are a few out takes from my first shoot. The entire series will be released slowly on my Instagram page with more context. I hope you enjoy it.
Today on NBC New York Live, I had the pleasure of showcasing my Valentine’s Day gift picks on NBC New York Live for my second JM Approved segment. Check out the segment here!
Dancing is the best aerobic exercise you can do, because you’re using flexibility, strength, memory and it helps to reduce stress. I took NBC’s Joelle Gargulio to two NYC dance fitness studios to bust a move. Check out the segment here!
Today was a big day! I launched my new branded content segment, JM Approved, with NBC’s New York Live TV. I’m over the moon about this opportunity and will be hosting these segments the first Wednesday of every month to start. Here’s my first segment, “Winter Skincare Tips.”
Even though I’m offered to try them for free all of the time, I’ve never been into body contouring devices or treatments. I believe your body is a product of your lifestyle. If you eat clean and work out regularly, you’ll set yourself up for longterm success. That was until I got pregnant and my postpartum body became a reminder of my tragic loss. I wanted nothing more than to get my body back and begin feeling like myself again. I was and still am willing to try anything.
After diving into a positive psychology course this past fall, we put together a few tips to help you live a more abundant life. We took some of the most important information, eliminated the boring scientific language, and came up with a list of three things you can add to your routine that’ll enhance your life.