It’s September! School has been in session for a couple of weeks and I’m feeling the urge to clean out my closet and refresh for Fall. Too bad it’s still 90 degrees in Nashville and I can’t even imagine putting jeans on. This past month I had a great trip to Santa Barbara (I’ll be sharing more about this trip soon!) for a friend’s birthday, a trip to my parents’ home for a Yearly trunk show and had some fun dinners out with friends in Nashville.

Don’t miss the latest:

Read on for the rest of August’s recap!

Daily

My current everyday favorites:

Yes I’ve shared about this body serum 100 times but I truly don’t go a day without it. I love that the Uni serum now comes in a travel size or you can get this adorable travel set with a body wash and oil in a complimentary pouch here.

Also my recent top makeup pick I’m using daily: The Soshe Beauty Lip Liner in Skinny Dip – it’s the PERFECT pinky nude and glides on smoothly without being dry

Weekly

Standing out to me this week:

I haven’t mentioned this in a while but the Soft Services bedside hand lotion has always been a favorite of mine. I keep it bedside and it has a little top that turns into a ring dish. It makes a lovely luxe present also for a friend, kid’s teacher, mother-in-law, or anyone who could use a sweet thoughtful gift!

Honorable mention: I got these James Perse pants in Santa Barbara and I’ve worn them at least twice a week. I love the optional cinch at the bottom, the subtle cargo detail and that the fabric is great for warmer temps. They’re not inexpensive but I can tell they’ll be worn again and again. I may even grab the Ecru or green color next. (I’m a size 2 in these which is a medium for the brand, but sometimes go up to a 3 so I’d say size down – also they look less wide and baggy on me in person than on the model/site).

Monthly

A few local spots I enjoyed this month.

Woodhouse Spa for an excellent massage (add the sauna afterwards for a little extra detox and rest)

ORA Facial Sculpting & Wellness for facial massage, lymphatic and a general nervous system reset. This was the most lovely facial treatment and I’m planning to go again soon!

Bar Mar – We tried this new restaurant with friends and ended up going back the next weekend. Delicious, a beautiful space and amazing service (get the Neptune pillows and a caviar cone!)

Yearly

New and exciting at Yearly Co., my jewelry brand:

Our Labor Day weekend sale goes LIVE this Friday! It’s such a fun time of year to see what our loyal and new customers choose. 10% off sitewide, 15% off anything over $1500!

My top picks:

• The Diamond Eternity Necklace I wear 24/7

• Any of our Diamond Hoops or Studs – classic, quality and on sale. The perfect combo

• Our St. Chrstopher or Guardian Angel Medallions (fun tip, the large size can go on the Diamond Eternity Necklace!) on the classic cable chain or the Box chain (I wear the 24” layered all the time)

• Our Original Bangle/A Catch Up pack to start your stack!

• The Anniversary, Pave or Hammered Milestone for a big, special occasion (15% off is the most you’ll ever see these discounted!)

Don’t know your bangle size? Choose the “send a sizing kit first” option at checkout and we can be sure to get your fit figured out first and then create your custom piece.

Happy Shopping!

More From My Journal:

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• A guide to building a lifetime of jewelry (inside my collection!)

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

Thank you for reading,

Weeks after that post, she requested free product from Yearly Co.

Then she took our styles to another jewelry company and had them replicate three of our designs in gold filled. Not “inspired by.” Not “in the style of.” Down to the millimeter. She posted the comparison, used our name, and sold her followers on the cheaper version of three of our bangle styles. $125 for three gold filled bangles, offered in 2 sizes (not the Yearly Co. solid 14k gold and 11 custom sizes).

I want to be clear about something: I didn’t invent the gold bangle. You can’t trademark a silhouette, and generally it’s almost impossible to trademark simple designs in jewelry. What you can protect, and what was violated here, is a brand name being used to sell a product that isn’t the brand’s.

I reached out directly. She took the post down (but has continued to sell the bangles). No apology, no real acknowledgment that any of it was handled poorly. A handful of other influencers, customers and friends messaged me to say some version of who does this and thinks it’s fine. I considered having my lawyer send a follow-up letter. And I still might.

So, where is the dupe line drawn?

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I thought it could be fun to share this routine step-by-step, like we’re getting ready together as friends, sharing recs and borrowing favorites. What’s more fun than that?! Here are the daily products that I have been loving:

Body & Skin Prep

By the time I begin my skin & makeup routine, I’ve already put on my body the Osea oil. I go through bottles of this often, and I mix it with the Uni serum. It smells so good, plus it’s so moisturizing!

Then I start prepping my skin. This is where another hero miracle favorite product comes in: Make Beauty’s Hydrascape. It’s a clean brand (win) and it makes my skin immediately glow.

For just tone and color, I love another Make Beauty product called the Diffusion Dew Radiant Skin Tint. It has a little bit of glow to it, which makes it so pretty and reflective.

Lastly, I never forget sunscreen. I usually go for the Saint Jane face sunscreen. It’s SPF 30, pore smoothing. It smells sooo good, and it’s clean. Love the whole brand.

Skin

I really prefer a moisturizing concealer, so I’ve been using the one from Typology with a fluffy Dibs brush. I go on top of my lids and try to make a really strong base for the rest of my products.

I recently got the bronzer blush combo from Versed in the color Rush. It looks kind of intense at first, but blends out really nicely. I ended up using this a lot on our recent summer trips, and I love the way it just mimics what the sun really would do to my skin if I let it. I think it naturally matches the rest of my body. I also layer on the Soshe Beauty “blurring blush” in the color Berry Smitten.

Eyebrows

Okay, now the magical part. Eyebrows.

The Make Beauty pencil is something I’ve talked about many, many, many times. I use the nano pencil in the warm brown shade. My brows kind of took a beating after chemo (and they also just weren’t really thick in the first place). Since then, this has become a really important step in my routine. I start with a really polished application, then go back and kind of mess them up to make everything look more natural.

Finishing Touches

My last step is a powder, specifically the Jouer Cosmetics in fair. I take just a little bit of that and go over the areas that I don’t want to smudge throughout the day, especially in the Nashville heat!

Mascara is something I don’t always include in my routine. When I do use it, I only and always use the Sweed Cloud mascara in brown. (I think I also have like three lash extensions still holding on for dear life, which are really helping me out right now.)

My favorite lip liner is from Dibs in the brown shade Toast. I add just a little bit under my bottom lip to kind of make a shadow, and then at the top. My hack is then to blend it with a nude-ish blush (I use the Saie one) it instantly makes your lips look a little fuller while still being a very natural color. That’s my favorite trick lately!

And then perfume from Uni! The scent Sunset smells like a beach vacation, and smelling like vacation always feels amazing.

Other favorites that I love to add to the mix:

Fresh Dazzle Dry nail polish in the shade Prima Ballerina is my go-to for nails. (Red Hot Chili for my toes!)

I swear by these Clean Skin Club face towels for removing my makeup.

Any perfume from Uni is the best. Another scent I love is Rain, which is a bit more unisex and smells very “clean”

One Skin’s lip SPF is always in my rotation.

Nécessaire’s Body Lotion is popular for a reason - very clean and looks great on the bathroom counter. The Body Wash Duo is another good pick.

True Botanicals has an overnight lip treatment duo that has become my travel gloss go-to. One for you, one for a friend or to keep in your car / purse / desk.

Rahua Beauty is one last clean brand I return to often, especially for my daughters too. We’ve tried and loved a lot of their hair care - the detangler in this bundle and their Scalp Care bundle are some of our favorites.

Usually I can get this whole makeup routine in like five minutes. Clean beauty products that are also quick and simple to use have become more and more important to me throughout these past few years. If you have any questions about my current favorite products (or maybe even some clean recs yourself) let me know!

Read More on Substack:

Read More From My Journal:

• Alta app review

• My 40th birthday trip to Palm Springs

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

This month, I've been sharing about the things that are close to my heart, from travel insights to memories from the early days of being a business owner (especially as Yearly Co. turns 10!) I love using this space to share the stories and traditions that shape both my life and my business, I hope they've inspired you too.

Don’t miss the latest:

Read on for the rest of July’s recap!

Daily

My current everyday favorites:

Clean Skin Club towels for face - I love these for everyday makeup removal and the travel-size for trips. Never have to worry about a washcloth being clean or about getting mascara on your towels again.

Skin Pharm face wash and tinted SPF - the perfect duo lately. The wash removes ALL of my makeup and doesn’t leave my skin dry. The tinted SPF is all I put on before my morning walk.

Weekly

Standing out to me this week:

Crown Affair hair towel: very exciting update, I now need a hair towel to wrap my short bob up to dry it faster! I truly never thought I’d see the day. These hair towels are luxe, well-made, and make a lovely gift. I gave them to my nieces for Christmas with their names on them. Add the mini leave-in conditioner - a must!

And an honorable mention: this Follian Body Scrub. I gave these to my daughters for Valentine’s Day and found myself having to use their shower this week, so I tested this scrub. It’s perfect. I don’t love a scrub that has oil in it and leaves your skin with a thick, oily feeling after. I like a clean, simple scrub that leaves your skin smooth and then I’ll add moisturizer + oil after. This scrub is a dream! $26!

Monthly

The best of July:

I’m planning for a full roundup of my favorite basics soon after a deep closet clean. But I can say confidently these thigh society shorts get pulled out anytime I’m wearing a dress in hot weather. They’re cooling, give you a little extra coverage if something is short, and are great for travel.

Also, anytime I want a little lace detail under a pretty top, this Anine Bing bralette is my favorite. Not ideal for larger cup sizes but post-mastectomy (one of the very few perks is not needing much support after surgery), I love a delicate bralette!

Yearly

New and exciting at Yearly Co., my jewelry brand:

New St. Christopher and guardian angel designs are here! I love these pendants so much. We launched them a few years ago and just recently made a small design tweak to keep the bail on top of the pendant to allow for more engraving space and the addition of pavè. The same beautiful vintage feel, a strong, sturdy bail, perfect to layer and wear on any of our solid 14k gold chains (or your own!). I love the St. Christopher as a gift to someone starting an adventure (as he’s the patron saint of travel) and the guardian angel to remember someone or keep a loved one close. Add custom engraving to the back to personalize them even more.

Another exciting addition: the anniversary bangle that I designed for my 10th wedding anniversary can now be customized with a range of fun diamond shapes: emerald, oval, heart & cushion! These are so beautiful and can be made with a specific number of diamonds for your special occasion.

More From My Journal:

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• A guide to building a lifetime of jewelry (inside my collection!)

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

Thank you for reading,

Here are my foolproof jewelry packing tips!

Never check jewelry.

Make sure that all of the valuable pieces you care about are either worn by you or put away in a small travel case that lives in your carry on.

You can find more TSA tips for jewelry here!

Buy a quality jewelry case.

I own this Toteme case in black leather. It has a cute little interior divider and a metal clip that is easy to secure inside a bag. It’s easy to find yet doesn’t take up much room. Inside, I package each piece of jewelry in little suede pouches or plastic bags (for any fine necklace chains, secure the clasp by zipping the plastic bag right across the chain under the clasp so it hangs out; this will prevent all tangles). Love this fawn color of the Toteme case as well!

These are fun to pick a color and customize - great if you wear a lot of rings!

This is another great option to keep in your carry-on!

Clean Your Jewelry While Traveling.

For cleaning jewelry on the go, the simplest hack is using a little dish with hand soap, some warm water, and a little brush like this one (or even a small travel toothbrush with soft bristles).

Clean Your Jewelry At Home.

Keep an empty jar or dish by your sink, fill it with warm water and a little soap, place your jewelry in the dish and let it sit while you do your makeup or overnight. Drain the water, brush the underside of the settings with a gentle brush, rinse, and pat dry. Don’t forget to stop up your sink drain while cleaning jewelry! I have dropped a diamond stud right down the sink before and had to immediately do some amateur plumbing work to find it in the P-trap.

For the most thorough cleaning, an at home ultrasonic is a dream. You can find them on Amazon, or there’s this adorable chic one that would be easy to have on the bathroom counter.

Note: Just be aware of which stones are in your pieces. Never put pearls in an ultrasonic, and some softer stones (even emeralds) can be sensitive to different cleaning methods. Diamonds, solid 14k gold, sapphires, and other hard stones are always easy to clean with these methods.

P.S. A note on maintenance:

If you ever feel a prong snagging your clothes or see a stone move around in its setting or notice a clasp that seems to keep loosening. Don’t wait! Take it to a local jewelry repair shop or your trusted jeweler for a close inspection. Over a lifetime of wear, pieces need care, and it’s not unusual to need a little tune-up to keep your jewelry fitting securely and looking its best.

When you invest in fine jewelry it should last a lifetime and be enjoyed daily. These are the best ways that I have found to keep special pieces safe and sparkly wherever you are! What did I miss? Comment below with your best advice!

More on Substack:

More From My Journal:

• Alta app review

• My 40th birthday trip to Palm Springs

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

I had no business starting a business. But I knew pretty quickly after a year into a job working in research that I wanted to make my own hours, use my creative skills, and work for myself. My sister was a serial entrepreneur and had started many businesses, including one called “Brilliant Babies” in my hometown of Menlo Park, California. It was relatively low in startup costs and staffing, and I could use my Master’s of Education in Child Studies degree to convince parents that I was equipped to watch their children in a safe, education-focused environment.

I was fortunate that my husband had bought our first home while we were engaged so we had somewhere to borrow from. We used a HELOC loan of $40,000 to cover the first few months rent, a few leasehold improvements, some carpet, IKEA furniture, Costco snacks and diapers.

We were newlyweds (married in October 2010) and I opened the doors to “Smart Sprouts” in December. I knew nothing about starting a business, but I figured it out as I went. I got licenses from the state, haggled pricing on the ADA compliant drinking fountain I needed to install, and googled every other question possible. My sister Mary (who was 7 months pregnant) flew out from California to drive a U-Haul to Memphis for our cute IKEA furniture and helped me get everything organized and set up. It looked adorable, and it was ten times more work than I expected just to get started.

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People always ask how we pull it off, because coordinating that many schedules (and that many kids!) sounds nearly impossible. Somehow, we made it happen, and every time, I’m reminded why it’s so worth it.

We stay in a group of hotel rooms that are all in a row and face the lawn at the Mauna Kea hotel. Close enough that the cousins spend the entire week running back and forth between rooms. They wake up excited to find each other every morning and disappear for hours, catching lizards and frogs, swimming, snorkeling, playing games, and making up adventures around the resort.

Watching them together is my favorite part.

These are the kind of childhood memories you can’t recreate. The inside jokes, the independence, the friendships they’re building with their cousins and the special time with their grandparents. Those are the things they’ll remember forever.

As much as the trip is for the kids, it’s just as much for us.

My siblings and I spend the week laughing over the same childhood stories we’ve told a hundred times, somehow finding them even funnier every year. We linger over long dinners, spend afternoons at the beach together, sit by the pool while the kids play, and have conversations that never seem to happen in everyday life. At home, everyone is rushing to work, school, practices, and bedtime routines. On this trip, there’s nowhere else we’re supposed to be but together. Sometimes we sneak away for meals without the kids, or sit around the lawn with a cheeseboard and a few bottles of wine. The week is very casual, unhurried, and every day we just focus on what we’re doing next.

One thing I love about where we stay is that everyone can spend the day exactly how they want while still being together. Some of us play golf; others head to the spa or the gym; someone is always organizing a pickleball match; and the kids rotate between the pool, the beach, and every activity the resort offers. No one has to sacrifice what they enjoy in order to spend time together, and I think that’s part of what makes the week work so well.

We have arranged a private dinner each trip, this year celebrating one of my nieces turning 18, and my early 40th birthday. The food, the view, and the company make this such a fun and special night. We usually have a few people do a double take as they walk past our group of 22 heading to dinner. On this trip a woman passing by with her 3 little kids said “wow, that’s the goal. I hope I can do this with my family one day.” It’s so meaningful to my parents to have us all there together and we don’t take these trips for granted.

The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized that these trips aren’t really about Hawaii.

They’re about protecting and spending time together.

My siblings and I don’t all live in the same city anymore. Our kids are growing up faster than I ever imagined, and before long they’ll have busy lives of their own. My parents won’t always be able to gather all of us in one place. Life naturally pulls families in different directions if we let it.

This trip is our way of saying that, no matter how busy life becomes, we’ll keep making time for each other.

We have made this trip happen three times over the last few years even with little kids and thousands of miles to travel. And because of that, and our trips to California, our kids are growing up with so many special cousin memories and relationships.

I don’t think family travel has to mean flying halfway around the world or staying somewhere extravagant. The destination is wonderful, but it’s never really the point.

The point is to create space where everyone can slow down, reconnect, and simply enjoy being together. It can be hard to prioritize but it is always worth it.

Watching all twelve grandchildren run across the beach into my parents’ arms on this trip was such a reminder of how much being together matters. A testament to my mom and dad and the children they raised and the way they showed us how much family matters most. I know these weeks together will end up being some of the most meaningful investments we ever make.

More From My Journal:

• Alta app review

• My 40th birthday trip to Palm Springs

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

June was a busy month of travel. We had the best time on our trip to London and Croatia! Read more about it in recap post:

Read on for the rest of June’s recap!

Daily

Coco Floss - I’m strangely obsessed with this floss. It’s thicker, has texture, and an added bonus is that it’s all natural! It comes in flavors so my kids love it too. I don’t travel without this! It cleans your teeth as a dentist would.

Another new daily favorite is the Hydrascape Moisturizer from Make Beauty. It’s absolutely the most unique, deeply moisturizing formula I’ve ever tried. My skin drinks this up and is instantly glowy and bouncy. It’s on the ‘thicker’ side and my dry skin loves it. I’m blown away by this product, $36 and 20% off right now during their summer sale!

Weekly

These Ipanema flip flops in black and/or tortoise are SO cute and comfy. My daughters and I all got a pair for vacation, and we wore them nonstop. $22-$26!

Monthly

Another star of our trip is this lightweight cashmere wrap from Alice Walk. I have it in an off-white. It folds up easily, packs well, and is the perfect year-round lightweight scarf. I brought it to throw around my shoulders at dinner, and it was perfect for my daughter when she refused to wear a sweater but was cold at dinner :) I may grab another color for Fall or winter; it’s just the best!

Yearly

I finally had my emerald set into a necklace! I love the heavier gold chain and unique setting style. This piece makes me smile and reminds me of celebrating my 40th birthday. Emeralds represent growth, wisdom, and new life. I feel inspired by this beautiful stone every time I wear it. We are doing more and more custom work and would love to help you source a stone for your project! We are also relaunching our St. Christopher and Guardian Angel Medallions in just a few weeks with a subtle design tweak; I think they’re even better. Sneak peek!

From My Journal

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• A guide to building a lifetime of jewelry (inside my collection!)

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

Thank you for reading,

Getting There

Here was our full route:

We left Nashville on June 9. Nashville to JFK, then a red-eye to London. Three days in London, then back to Heathrow, slept at the airport hotel, and caught an early British Airways flight to Split. From Split airport, we took a private boat (arranged by the concierge from Villa More) directly to Sumartin — the doc is about five minutes from the airport and the boat ride was a little over an hour. Private boat pickup runs 400-900 euros depending on size.

At the end of our week, we left the villa at 1 pm Saturday, boat back to Split airport, flew Split to Stansted (one of the only reasonable flight options — a bit of a logistics puzzle but manageable), car to Heathrow, airport hotel again, then Delta to Atlanta and home to Nashville. We arrived back home on June 21.

The easier but longer land route: car from Split airport into the city 30-40 min), ferry from Split to Supetar on Brac, then drive from Supetar to Sumartin in a cab or car (about 40 min). Probably three hours total, and you’ll have to line up ferry schedules with flights, but definitely less expensive than the private boat.

Good news for next summer: We’ve heard United is now booking direct flights from Newark to Split, May through September. That would be a game changer, and we’ll be looking into it for a future trip.

Packing

We each carried on the Target expandable hard-sided carry-on. My girls each had a Calpak backpack, I brought my Calpak Luka duffel, and Pat had a larger backpack duffel. We managed really well with this setup. On smaller European planes, bags were occasionally gate-checked, but that was never a problem. We tried to be very thoughtful about what we packed. A few dresses, swimsuits, shorts and tanks and we were able to do laundry at the villa.

One tip: if you’re doing multi-city travel in Europe, carry on only if you can. We arrived at Heathrow at 7 am for a 9 am flight, and the lines were intense. Carrying on saves so much stress.

Starting in London

We built three days in London at the front of the trip, which was the perfect way to ease into the time change before a week of full relaxation on the island. For this portion we used Dainee from Memora Travel to plan and she did an amazing job.

We stayed at the One Aldwych in Covent Garden, a beautiful hotel that was very comfortable and in a great area. Another tip: Dainee booked us a stay that included one night free, which we used as our first night before arriving so that we could check in right away after we landed. You just have to be sure to let the hotel know so they don’t think you’re a no-show that first night.

Day 1: Walked and shopped in the Covent Garden area near the hotel. Dinner at Cafe Murano which was a short walk from the hotel, it’s not specifically a kid spot but worked perfectly for us. Delicious Italian!

Day 2: Jellycat experience at Selfridges (the girls were obsessed). Shopping at Selfridges and Harrods, sushi lunch at Harrods, then afternoon tea at Claridge’s. Pro tip: one kids’ tea and one adults’ tea is genuinely enough for a family of four unless you’re very hungry. Light dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was great.

Day 3: Tower of London and Crown Jewels with a private guide and my girls really enjoyed it! Then Borough Market for the famous chocolate-covered strawberries and fish and chips at a restaurant in the market area. More walking, the best gummy candy from a vendor stall and a visit to the National History Museum. They had an exhibit of the best nature photos of the year that was incredible! We had dinner at Hawksmoor Air Street, a traditional steakhouse. Then we walked back home with our Gelato to finish our last night.

Our Next Stop: Why Croatia?

My mom’s grandparents on her father’s side were from the island of Brač. Growing up, Croatian heritage was something we were proud of, and it was always more than just a place on a map. I first visited Croatia in college on Semester at Sea and fell completely in love. I went back for a six-week study abroad program and lived in Dubrovnik, Split, and the island of Vis, and have the most amazing memories from that time.

Last summer, we found Villa More through our travel agent, Dainee at Memora Travel and went with my parents and another couple. It was one of those trips where you’re still at the dinner table on the last night saying “we have to do this again.” So we went back this time with our girls.

I started planning almost a year out. Last time, Pat and I added a few days in Rome before Croatia. This time, we decided London would be the perfect city stop with our girls. We had a few fun days of sightseeing, shopping, and walking around London before a relaxing week on Brac.

The House and Location in Brač

This is the question everyone asked first, and for good reason. We stayed at Villa More in Sumartin on the island of Brač, booked through bracvillas.com. It’s a brand-new stone villa sitting right on the waterfront with direct sea access, a pool, a sauna, a gym, a professional kitchen, and four ensuite bedrooms with king beds. It sleeps 8, so it’s perfect for two families to split or 4 couples. The outdoor space is stunningly beautiful with a view of the water, the town of Sumartin, and the mountains in the backdrop.

Rates start at around $1,200/night for the entire home, and there are 3 houses owned by the same owner in a row (2 with 4 bedrooms and one with 6). You could easily rent out 2 or all 3 for a bigger group. We were able to walk through all of the houses, and each one is incredible. The price for this type of property is so much more affordable than many other parts of the world. We were so happy with our stay here!

The villa comes with a concierge who is wonderful. She arranged our boat days, made restaurant reservations when needed, and was responsive to every question. You can also arrange a private chef, tours, reservations, and anything else your group might need. The owners left a list of restaurant and activity recommendations, which we loved. The homes are air-conditioned, have laundry, spacious bathrooms, and balconies for each room. There’s a TV and a game cabinet, and we loved playing cards around the pool. I cannot say enough great things about the accommodations! It does start to get quite warm in July and August, so June was a great time to go. The locals told us May and September were also lovely!

Getting Around Brač

We rented a car, which I’d highly recommend. The rental company drops it right at the villa — 75 euro a day. Driving on Brač is just like home: right side of the road, steering wheel on the left. The road to Bol (about 35 minutes away) is a mountain road with winding turns and stunning ocean views. Slightly terrifying, but also breathtaking.

You can also easily walk into the town of Sumartin from the house, it’s about 25 minutes. And you can call a car to take you into Bol or another part of the island. There’s a ferry from Sumartin to the other islands as well.

Language is not an issue at all. Everyone speaks at least some English. For menus, AI translation works perfectly if you get stuck.

The Boat Day

We did one full day on a private boat — around 1,200 euro plus fuel, arranged through the concierge. Worth every penny. If you go, do this, it was one of my favorite memories! You can visit other islands, stop for a swim, and enjoy being on the water. We went to Hvar (Hvar Town) and climbed to the top of the fortress for the view and a little history and we loved this!

In general, the water is SO clear and calm. We loved swimming in front of the house. It’s low 70s so refreshing but not freezing, and my girls caught crabs and saw so many fish swimming around. The house has kayaks, paddle boards and some snorkels and things to use while you’re there.

One thing to note: the beaches are not sandy in Croatia, they’re all small pebbles and rocks, so wearing sandals or water shoes is ideal.

What We Ate

This might be my favorite part!

Within a five-minute walk of the villa: Kartolina Beach Grill for fresh grilled fish and pizza right on the water, and Bilin for a more formal dinner experience.

A short drive into town: Konoba Top, where I had truffle gnocchi that I’m still thinking about.

In Bol: a sushi restaurant right on the water that surprised us completely — delicious. There are a lot of great restaurants all along the water here.

Croatian wines deserve their own mention: The sparkling whites especially. Crisp, affordable, and the perfect thing to drink while watching the sun set from the pool.

Rough food budget: groceries for the week ran us about 200 euro (breakfasts, lunches, and snacks at the house). Dinner out for four with a bottle of wine and a couple of appetizers averaged around 40 euro per person. Lunch was less. Gelato was a daily treat for all of us!

Would We Do It Again?

Without question. This trip required some logistics to get around (planes, cars, boats), but it was such a wonderful time. London was fun and exciting, and our girls were at great ages for exploring. Brac is peaceful and beautiful in a way that’s hard to find. The villa felt like our own private world. The girls were easy, adventurous travelers, and watching them experience new places is always so much fun.

Croatia is a dream for families, couples, and friend groups alike. We love Brac and Sumartin in particular because it’s so quiet, safe, beautiful and relaxing. You can certainly get more of a busy feeling in Dubrovnik or Split, but I highly recommend Brac if you’d like to enjoy a magical week that feels less ‘discovered’ than a lot of European destinations. If you want to enjoy a few “city” days before or after Sumartin, Split would be a fun place to explore, and we also loved our days in Rome last Summer. I hope this helps you plan your next trip, mention my name if you book at Brac Villas! ❤️

Trip Recap At a Glance:

Key information, links, and costs from our trip!

Our Luggage: Target expandable carry-on + Calpak Luka duffel

London Hotel: One Aldwych, Covent Garden / Travel Agent: Dainee at Memora Travel

Villa in Brač: bracvillas.com —Villa More

Our Sumartin Contact: concierge@bracvillas.com (They can arrange everything — boats, reservations, car rental, chef!)

Cost of Private Boat Transfer to Sumartin: 400-900 euro

Cost of Brač Car Rental: delivered to the villa, 75 euro/day

Cost of Full Private Boat Day: 1,200 euro + fuel

Restaurants We Loved: Kartolina, Bilin, Konoba Top, sushi in Bol

More From My Journal:

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• A guide to building a lifetime of jewelry (inside my collection!)

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

This month, Yearly Co. turns ten.

I’ve thought a lot about what I want to say to mark this milestone because if there’s one thing a decade of building something teaches you, it’s that the milestones do matter. If you don’t stop to name them, they just slip by, and suddenly years of hard work feel like a blur instead of a story.

So here’s my story, told through the ten truest things I’ve learned.

1. Make time to celebrate every win.

The first hire. The first big order. The first time someone told you that something you made meant something to them. Be sure to pause long enough to notice these wins happening in real time. Celebrate them! This is the whole point. If you don’t take time to mark the milestones, it all becomes a blur.

2. A good team makes everything better.

Not just easier, but better. Good people make everything more fun and more meaningful. They’ll even make you more resilient as a leader. Building a team taught me that the right people don’t just help you show up and survive building a business. They make you want to do so, to thrive while you grow!

3. Build systems before you think you need them.

I know, it feels tedious. This is the least creative part of entrepreneurship. Do it anyway, and do it earlier than feels necessary. The moment when you’ll desperately need structure is always closer than you think.

4. Over-communicate. Then do it again.

Communication is the root of most problems inside a business, and the solution to most of them too. Unclear expectations, assumed understanding, things left unsaid — these are the things that cause chaos. Instead, say the thing you need to say. Say it clearly, and say it more than once.

5. Hard seasons always end.

This one I know deeply now, in ways I couldn’t have understood ten years ago. In the moment, it feels like difficulty will never end. And then one day you wake up and realize that season has passed, and you’re still here, and you’re better for having gone through it.

6. Find your people.

Entrepreneurship is lonely in a way that’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t done it. Find the people who get it, whether it’s other founders or people also working in your specific industry. Share openly and often. The best business advice I’ve ever received came from simple dinners with friends who are also figuring it out.

7. “No.” is a complete sentence.

You can say “no” to any employee, customer, collaboration, or opportunity. Not everything is right for you or your business, and the earlier you make peace with that, the more energy you’ll have for what is right for you.

(P.S. You can also say no with kindness!)

8. Balance is a myth. Presence isn’t.

There’s no such thing as perfect balance, but I’ve learned that giving 50% to two things at the same time never actually feels good. It’s not healthy for you or for the people with you. Put the phone down when you’re with your family. Be where you are. Presence is more important than balance.

9. Be curious about your mistakes.

The ones that stung the most have taught me the most. Approach everything with curiosity. Treat mistakes as data, not verdicts. Something went wrong, great, now you know something you didn’t before.

10. You’re much more capable than you think.

The reality is that nobody knows what they’re doing half the time. The people who look the most confident are mostly just the ones who felt the fear and decided to try anyway. You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you begin.

10 years. Thousands of orders. Hirings and firings, the highest highs and the lowest lows. So many mistakes and learnings along the way. And two girls who have grown up watching me build something from nothing.

I’m grateful for it all and amazed I made it to this moment. If anything, my cancer diagnosis alone made me more grateful and present than ever before.

I’m more grateful than I can say for this community, for the work, for all of it.

Here’s to the next ten.

More From My Journal:

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• A guide to building a lifetime of jewelry (inside my collection!)

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

Daily

My daily makeup is pretty simple in the summer, but I love this serum concealer from Typology and a little pop of color on my cheeks. This Soshe beauty blurring blush in berry smitten looks intense, but it adds the perfect bright, rich summer berry color. I love the Dibs brush for applying!

Weekly

I have shared these t-shirts again and again, but I truly wear one once a week. The Buck Mason cropped boyfriend tee is just the right length for high-waisted pants and has a thicker weight that feels luxe and soft. I have white, brown, and black.

Monthly

Locally, I’ve been getting a lymphatic drainage massage about once a month. With lots of travel and a desire to detox regularly, these massages have been amazing. I go to Brazilicious locally, but there are a lot of great ones popping up everywhere. This vibration plate is also a great way to help your lymphatic system daily - I try to do this for 15 min a few times a week. There’s research on the benefits of bone density to digestion and more.

Yearly

During summer travel, I stick with my stacks. 16 bangles for my 15 years of marriage (an extra for the day I got married), my diamond studs + mini diamond studs, and 2-3 necklaces to mix and layer depending on my outfit. I am excited that my birthday emerald is being set right now and should be ready to wear very soon! For your own custom piece with any special stone (your own or one sourced just for you) click here to get started and see some of our recent projects!

From My Journal

• A peek into our Spring 2026 photoshoot and the heart behind the photos

• A guide to building a lifetime of jewelry (inside my collection!)

• What to expect here on Substack

• All my favorites!

Thank you for reading,

I realized in sharing my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and in having so many amazing conversations with other women about health, entrepreneurship, motherhood and all the challenges that come along with this life, that my perspective is unique. I’ve lived quite a life in these almost forty years and especially in these last ten.

I love to connect with women around my learned experience, share non-judgmental advice, and to be transparent about the decisions I make now after knowing what I’ve learned. Instagram has been an amazing place to share some of the highs and lows, to post photos and videos and exchange DMs. But here I am hoping to dive in more. I want to give more context, more realness, more behind the scenes and stories of what it’s been like to create a successful business from my garage as a mom of two married to another entrepreneur.

Who I Am (the version you don’t see on Instagram)

Yes, I am currently the Founder and Creative Director of a successful jewelry business with 16 employees, a storefront and millions of dollars in revenue. But I was once a college grad with a Child Studies degree working in research who knew within months that this career path (that is, having a boss) was not for me.

My first business was a drop-in childcare center I started right after I got married at twenty-four using a $40K HELOC on our house and barely broke even after three years (a story for another day). I made mixed seed packets while pregnant and tried to start a business called “Mom Nom Foods” but realized quickly that the margins in the food business and the work needed to grow it did not align with my phase of life as a mom of two young girls. I failed. And got back up. And failed again and tried again.

I started making gold bangles in my garage during my daughter’s nap time around 2015 while my husband’s new business venture paycheck didn’t cover our mortgage and we had to Airbnb our own house to stay afloat. Somehow, this business made financial sense and started to take off. And the headaches, disappointments, lessons, triumphs, and challenges along the way these past ten years could fill a book.

Why now

I built a business without funding, alongside a partner building a business, while raising two kids, and then facing a cancer diagnosis and treatment at thirty-seven that completely reset my priorities. These experiences have given me a perspective many founders don’t have — and I want to share what they’ve taught me. I want a space where I can be specific, transparent, and useful to other women. Women that are in that chaotic and magical space of putting their hard work out into the world while trying to stay connected to living the life they want to live. Cancer forced me to recognize that all the building, working, scheming, dreaming, only matters if you get to enjoy moments along the way. And that you must take care of yourself and find peace and joy even when your inbox is full and so many people want and need your attention.

What this space will be

My Instagram is for pretty pictures, my favorite products, and videos of jewelry designs I’m working on. This substack is for the knitty gritty. The details about what has worked (and hasn’t). I know that my experience can be helpful to other women in the business building phase of life and I’m willing to dig into the details to pass along my knowledge.

I’ll be writing from the advice I regularly give others, and might have given myself, ten years ago. The real numbers, the real mistakes, the real cost of hiring and growing.

Cancer makes you sentimental (and honestly a little morbid) and sometimes I think about the things I’ve shared and passed down to my girls, and all the things that they wouldn’t know, if I weren’t here to tell them one day. So, this is also for them. A collection of the lessons I’ve learned in business, a diary of the drama and an honoring of the work that I’ve done to get here.

What this space won’t be

Because this is a paid Substack, I will dig into business details and advice and things I would not share on Instagram. I feel like I can share a bit more openly with a paywall and I want anyone reading to feel like they are really getting valuable and useful (and real) information. What I won’t include in this Substack is health info related to cancer (or if I do, I’ll also share it on Instagram) because I don’t want anything I’ve learned or experienced in terms of my health to be available only on a paid platform. You can find those posts (like chemo, surgery, etc.) all on AnnBrennanWilliams.com under the Health category.

What’s coming

Some of the posts I have drafted to give you an idea of what you’ll be reading in the coming weeks and months:

• The $40,000 bet my husband and I made to start my first business

• Building culture and vision matter – why I wasn’t worried when I had to take a “chemo-sabbatical”

• The real cost of employees – breaking down the numbers

• Sourcing in the jewelry world – how I broke in and formed relationships

I truly never imagined being where I am today in life. As the youngest of four kids I spent a lot of my early life watching my siblings and learning what to do (and what not to do). When I made one simple gold bangle in my garage for my uncle, I didn’t plan to be a CEO or to hire a team. When I got married, I pictured my future self as a stay-at-home mom maybe with a side hustle for fun. But things never go as planned, and although my life doesn’t look quite like I expected, I am eternally grateful for the version that I have today.

I’ll be openly digging into these lessons and hope to shed light on topics that are helpful to you. I know the best way to create community and help other women to navigate challenges and reach their goals is to show and to tell them how you did it yourself. I hope you find something in my story that speaks to you. Sharing authentically through my cancer treatment taught me that my struggles feel less heavy and more purposeful when they can help others through theirs.

Thank you for reading,

Each of our diagnoses and journeys are different so to preface this information here is mine:

I was diagnosed with stage 1 triple positive breast cancer on April 17th, 2024. Triple positive means both hormone positive (estrogen and progesterone) and HER2 positive. *I switched oncologists after active treatment and when they re-ran my tumor pathology using more specific testing my tumors were found to be so low on the HER2 scale that they treated me as negative HER2. So initially triple positive, but now considered just hormone positive. But my tumor grade was high (3/3) and I was young at diagnosis (37) so chemotherapy was necessary.

I had chemo first, which started on May 7th and I completed 6 rounds of TCHP every 21 days (Taxol, Carboplatin, Herceptin/Perjeta given as the Phesgo shot). I finished chemotherapy on August 20th and my double mastectomy surgery was scheduled about 6 weeks later on October 3rd.

Originally my cancer diagnosis involved one single tumor that I felt myself (you can read more about that here). But once a second tumor was found with questionable cells connecting the two, it was more likely that a lumpectomy was out of the question and at least a single mastectomy would be needed. I chose a double mastectomy. I had fibroadenomas and some other cysts in my right (non-cancerous) breast and would have had a lot of regular monitoring for that side and decided I’d rather have surgery and remove that tissue also. Imagining mammograms and ultrasounds and possibly MRIs every few months brought up a lot of anxiety and fear and by removing the tissue I will avoid that kind of testing. I was also told I’d be able to avoid radiation if I did the double mastectomy and I was hoping not to do that.

It’s a personal choice that I made (and sometimes medically there is not a choice between lumpectomy and mastectomy) and a choice each woman needs to make for herself. Mastectomy changes your body forever. Even if you are able to preserve your skin and your nipples you’ll never have exactly the same anatomy and feeling again. This is something that I mourned and processed before surgery.

I was able to joke with friends that I’d have ‘perkier’ breasts and made peace with my decision but generally mastectomy is a very sad and difficult process of losing a part of your body to cancer. If I can give advice around how you speak to any woman facing this choice, I’d say to be very considerate, recognize that it’s sad and hard and not make jokes or comparisons to ‘getting your boobs done’ (unless she is expressing a lighthearted attitude around it). Because a mastectomy involves removing all of the breast tissue, even with implants placed there is not the typical “cushion” around them and women can have rippling, gaps and other issues that make their breasts look unnatural. There are many wonderful surgical techniques to help, but this surgery is not a simple augmentation and the results are often not going to look the same as one.

It also can be a perfectly ‘safe’ choice to have a lumpectomy or single mastectomy and doesn’t necessarily increase your risk of cancer returning if you don’t remove all the tissue in both breasts. So again, comments like ‘I’d just do both’ are not helpful when a woman has made her choice not to pursue mastectomy. It’s a heavy decision and one that is made with your doctors and a woman’s best interest in mind.

In the chemotherapy process you typically don’t start discussing surgical options until at least about halfway through. Once it was time to find my surgeons, I set up two consultations. The breast surgeon I worked with originally who performed my biopsies in Nashville was wonderful and would have been ideal to do my mastectomy, and I would need a plastic surgeon to do my reconstruction. I met with a very highly recommended plastic surgeon locally and really liked her. She recommended expanders at the time of mastectomy which would be placed and filled slowly over 3 months then swapped for implants in a second surgery.

A few weeks after my diagnosis an ‘instagram friend’ reached out to me in a DM to share her surgery experience with Dr. Anne Peled and Dr. Ziv Peled. I am so glad that she did! Women in the ‘breast cancer club’ have been so kind and generous in sharing resources and their experiences with me. She raved about their sensation preserving technique and direct to implant options and recommended them to me. The Peled team is based in San Francisco and that was a viable option for me to travel for surgery and recover at my parents/my childhood home just south of SF. I had a wonderful consultation with them over zoom and I ultimately chose this team for a few reasons:

Sensation Preservation:

Mastectomy often leaves you entirely numb across your chest. Some women do regain some sensation but it’s hard to know if you will or how long it will take. Dr. Ziv Peled is a nerve plastic surgeon and works alongside his wife to specifically separate the nerves from the tissue and preserve or graft as much as is oncologic-ally safe. They have performed hundreds of these surgeries over the past few years and are seeing very promising results with a range of sensation coming back within 6-24 months post surgery. This portion of the operation is not covered by insurance and cost $6500 (we did file with my insurance and received $2900 back!).

One surgery:

The Peled team felt that I was a great candidate for a single surgery. This meant I could do my mastectomy and reconstruction (direct to implant) in one 2.5 hour surgery. Dr. Anne Peled is also a breast AND plastic surgeon so she would do all of the mastectomy and the reconstruction which is rare. I’d be able to save my skin and nipples and would not have to wait months to have my reconstruction with implants. Not everyone is a perfect candidate for this. I chose to go down about a cup size (from a D after nursing two babies, to a small C) which left plenty of skin for the implants and my cancer was not attached to or too close to my nipples. One surgery felt less overwhelming than two. *It is possible that if I’m unhappy with the way my implants look I could need some fat grafting later on which requires liposuction from one part of your body and fat injected into areas that need more ‘fill’ so a second surgery is always possible.

Location:

Although traveling for surgery sounds complicated, the Peleds have many patients who travel to them for surgery. Most of their patients have their drains out by day 8 and can stay locally in a hotel to recover. I had the bonus of my parents living close by to help me with recovery. Although it was hard to leave my kids for 10 days, it was a gift to recover and not have the added stressors of being a mom and dealing with the construction at our home. My husband came out there with me for surgery and we stayed at a hotel the night before, then drove to my parent’s house. I stayed for a week while my husband flew home and then he brought our kids out for another week during their Fall break so I had 2 full weeks of rest before traveling home.

Insurance coverage:

Although I did not expect our insurance to cover an out of state surgery, it did! This was a pleasant surprise. We have Aetna insurance and Dr. Peled’s team was wonderful about helping get everything submitted and approved.

And the final reason that really stuck out to me is that Dr. Anne Peled is a breast cancer survivor.

Her personal experience with cancer and facing treatment and surgical decisions makes her able to relate to her patients’ journeys. Her parents are also oncologists and she and her husband are incredibly well researched and respected in their field, so I felt very safe and comfortable choosing them as my surgical team.

Between chemotherapy and surgery:

I spent a few weeks resting and recovering from chemo and did some research to purchase all the items I might need for my mastectomy recovery. I really tried not to get ahead of myself or spend too much time worrying about surgery. Once I had scheduled surgery with my team and knew the time was coming, I focused on taking care of myself. I tried to eat well, had regular acupuncture, coffee with friends, took lots of walks and got a massage.

We had arranged childcare for our girls and prepared as a family for my surgery and for me being gone for so long. I answered lots of bedtime questions and used a stuffed animal to show my daughter how the surgeon would be making a small cut, taking out the “bad stuffing” and putting in some “good stuffing”. There were definitely some tears the day before I left and some anxiousness, but we made sure to talk to my daughters’ teachers and friends parents so everyone knew they may need a little extra love during that time. My mom came to town to spend some time with my girls and they were lucky enough to have her and my husband’s parents at grandparents day at their school that week which was a great distraction.

My husband and I left for California on October 1^st so that we’d be in town and ready for my pre-op appointments on the 2^nd. We spent one night at my parents’ home and then left for San Francisco the next day. There are a few hotels that are very convenient to the surgery center and the Peled’s offices. We stayed at a Courtyard Marriott on Van Ness which is right across the street from the building where I’d need my nuclear medicine appointment the afternoon before surgery.

First, I had an appointment at Dr. Ziv Peled’s office to do some initial breast sensation testing to have a baseline to compare to later in my recovery. The testing was very simple and quick, and we headed to my next appointment. I was extremely nervous about the dye injection and had heard it could be uncomfortable but in my experience, it was very fast and felt like a tiny pinch. This injection is done directly in/near your tumor site using a dye that can be traced in surgery to find which lymph nodes are considered “sentinel lymph nodes” which would be the first nodes where your tumor would drain to. They then only need to remove or biopsy those specific nodes (I had no idea we have between 20-30+ lymph nodes in our underarm area). I ended up having three lymph nodes removed in surgery.

Once these appointments were done my husband and I found a cute restaurant to have a light meal before my early surgery wake up. We talked about any nerves I had about the next day, what a crazy journey it had been through chemo, and about some of our plans and dreams for the future beyond cancer and surgery.

I would highly recommend if possible, spending some time the night before surgery doing something pleasant or relaxing, going out to dinner or being with friends. I really felt like I was in a positive headspace and able to have some pleasant memories around a time that was obviously very difficult. After going through chemotherapy I had heard so many women say that mastectomy surgery was “not that bad” in comparison. Knowing it would be just one day of going under anestethia, that my cancer would be removed from my body, and that recovery would get better each day helped me to stay calm and positive.

We set our alarms for 5am and arrived at the surgery center at 6am. We had a short wait and then I was taken back to change and get my IV started. I had a great team take care of me and they made the process very calm and easy. I used to be a huge wimp about IVs but after having a chemo port I seem to have gotten much braver about needles. After I was ready to go and gave my husband a hug, I teared up a bit knowing that this was a big moment that would always feel like a “before”.

There are a few distinct moments in a cancer journey that stand out as the times you’ll always remember. The moments before your doctor calls to tell you yes, it’s cancer. The moment you sit in the chemo chair for the first time and force yourself to stay calm while the medicine is pushed into your body even though you are so afraid of it. The moment you take a deep breath before buzzing your head and letting your hair fall to the ground around your feet.

The night before my mastectomy I was so aware of what I took for granted in the last shower I took with my body just as it was. With my breasts exactly as they were meant to grow on my body, as a part of me. The breasts that made me feel feminine and attractive and fed my babies for two years and that I never thought I’d have to lose or surgically recreate. Especially at 38.

I’m incredibly thankful for the medicine and the surgeons and the long way we have come in helping women reconstruct their breasts after mastectomy, but still, it’s a very hard moment to face. It’s another time when you are not in control of what is going to happen to your body because cancer took that choice away from you.

I didn’t know I’d have quite so much to write until I sat down to write it.

I’ll share a second post this week about coming out of surgery and recovering, with links to all the items I used, needed, and loved.

Thank you for reading,

I have a week left with my hair.

And probably 4 months left with my breasts. 

I’m 38 years old and my body doesn’t deserve this. I weep thinking about the way I’ll lose parts of my identity. 

When I see videos of hair styling in my instagram feed or the blow dryer in a drawer in my bathroom I quickly look away and tear up. My hair won’t be here next week. It will take a few weeks to fully fall out and then months and months to grow back in. Years and years to be as long as it is now. 

I have really good hair.

A friend called it ‘newscaster hair’. I hope I have a good shaped bald head. I hope I don’t lose all of my eyebrow hairs. I hope my daughters aren’t afraid when they see me bald and looking sick even though we have assured them again and again and again that I will be okay. 

When the radiologist was looking at my non-cancerous right breast on my ultrasound she said ‘you’ll worry about this one, and have to check it every 6 months. I’d just lose them both’. Everyone says that. ‘Just get rid of them.’ ‘Take it all off’. ‘That’s what I would do.’ So casually. With so much assurance. As if it’s the easiest choice. 

I’ll be chemo sick six times in a row.

Fighting fatigue and body aches, a lack of tastebuds that makes eating a chore. Never really feeling like food is sitting well in my body and wishing desperately to go to the gym or get a massage or have a glass of wine with a friend. While mourning the loss of the life I was living less than one month ago. And googling the possible ways to recreate a human breast. With other parts of my body? With mesh and saline and multiple surgeries? Did you know nipples can be recreated with tattoos because they’re not always salvageable? Did you know you often lose some or all sensation in your breasts and they never feel like the same part of your body again? I’m learning about it all because I have to. 

My heart breaks for my body and its wholeness and my naive understanding of cancer. I’m so squeamish about needles I’ve almost passed out during basic blood draws. Now I have a device sewn into my chest for the needles to pop into where they pump a medicine that will both make me feel terrible and save my life. I’d never had anesthesia before and now I’ll have multiple surgeries in a year. I am so so sad, and also so so thankful. This is going to give me a long life but it won’t be the same one I was living before. 

I talk to other women in treatment or who have gone through this. We immediately become friends, allies, sources of hope and comfort and knowledge. We all say the same thing ‘I’m so sorry you’re going through this.’ Or ‘I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well’. I know I’m going to make it to that other side and they assure me I can get there, but today it doesn’t seem possible. 

I regularly share my outfits, bargain finds and investments on my Instagram. Follow along here if you’d like to see more! And never hesitate to DM me with a question or if you’re on the hunt for something, the only thing I love more than shopping for myself is shopping for someone else!

I have triple positive, stage 1A breast cancer with a tumor grade 3.

My two tumors are under 2cm and have not spread to my lymph nodes. But they rank a 3 (out of 1-3) on the aggressiveness scale. Triple positive breast cancer means that my cancer cells have receptors for Estrogen, Progesterone, and have high levels of the HER2 protein. This cancer responds well to treatment but requires chemotherapy, surgery, infusions for 1 year and hormone blocking drugs for five or more years after.

I learned all of this information on Tuesday, April 23rd at an appointment with my breast surgeon while we discussed my treatment and next steps. But let’s back up a little bit, four weeks to be exact.

On March 26th I was putting lotion on my upper chest and as my hand slide down over the top of my left breast I felt a hardened area about the width of a few fingers.

It was just a bit different than normal, but not a focused marble-like lump as I had been taught to look for. I am not a careful self-checker when it comes to breast exams and have never been a worrier or someone who jumps to conclusions. But, the Friday before I had seen a new acupuncturist and as we were reviewing my general health we chatted about breast health and she mentioned that breast cancers were more commonly found in the “upper quadrant” which I had never heard before. That phrase popped up in my head right as I brushed over this hardened area in the upper part of my left breast and I picked up my phone to send a text to my OBGYN.

My doctor has been a friend of mine for years (even before I chose her as my OB) and I generally try to avoid abusing the privilege of having her cell phone number but I fired off a text “Hey, feeling some breast tissue that feels lump-ish…do I just call for an appointment?” She wrote back right away and told me to say I felt a lump and they’d get me scheduled. The office got me in the next day and when she felt the area she said “yep, let’s go ahead and get a mammogram and ultrasound scheduled”. I felt oddly good about the whole thing. I was being proactive, we were going to get more information, and SURELY there could be nothing seriously wrong with me as a 37 year old healthy woman. I was exercising weekly, ate a pretty healthy diet, and had absolutely zero symptoms of being “sick”.

That weekend we went on a family trip and my next appointment was scheduled for Wednesday, April 3rd.

I remember on that vacation feeling for the lump a few times and telling my husband it was a little strange but since I had only just noticed it I was hopeful it would possibly change or go away with my cycle. By the time I got to my mammogram I was eager for more information. They got a number of images in my mammogram and then brought me back in for more (another round of awkward positions to stand in with your skin pinched between plates). The ultrasound tech went back and forth over the area capturing image after image and went to speak with the radiologist. I had another round of imaging done years before after some breast pain in another area so I knew what to expect, and I also knew that it shouldn’t take two hours. By then it was 5:30pm and the entire office was empty as the radiologist came in to discuss what they found. I remember a few key phrases from this conversation: “what I’m concerned about here are the broken borders” and “we’ll need to get a biopsy of this next week” and “if it is cancer, the treatment they have now is really effective”.

My brain short circuited at the casual dropping of the c-word.

He started to describe the biopsy process and at that moment tears started streaming down my cheeks. He kindly put his hand on mine and asked if there was someone who could pick me up. I assured him I was okay and that the biopsy procedure scared me a bit and then called my husband as I was walking out to update him.

My doctor helped get me in quickly with an excellent breast surgeon and we had a biopsy scheduled a week later on April 11th. The process for me was not my favorite, and they took a biopsy both of the area of concern on the left and another small cyst-like area in my right breast just to be safe. An ultrasound guided breast biopsy requires some local anesthetic, a small scalpel incision, and then a core-needle that the doctor guides through your tissue to the area. The needle “punches” out pieces of tissue (five from each area) to be sent to pathology and they place a small metal marker at the spot for future procedures. My husband held my hand and kept me calm while I fought off a queasy feeling (I’m really not great with needles or blood).

After my biopsy all there was to do was wait and we knew it could take up to a week.

I told close friends what was going on and a few people reassured me that they “knew someone who had to do a biopsy and everything was fine”. Even google will tell you that only 20% of biopsy results some back malignant. But in my gut, it felt like something was wrong.

While waiting on the biopsy information I received a letter that informed me that the results of my mammogram were “highly suggestive of malignancy” and encouraged me to get a biopsy to follow up with those results (clearly an automated requirement from the office after my mammogram). If you google that phrase it will tell you that the findings have a “95% or higher chance of being cancer”. I opened that letter in our kitchen on a Friday night and showed it to my husband and we stared at each other with shock. It wasn’t the formal diagnosis but it changed the feeling of a possibility into almost certainty. That was the night I let it sink in that I likely had breast cancer and cried into my pillow wondering “what kind? how bad is it? when did it start? what will happen to me? what will happen to my family if I’m not here?” I tried to get through the weekend and work week without thinking about the impending diagnosis and still my friends and family assured me it would probably be fine and prayed for positive results.

We had a birthday trip planned to Vegas with some good friends to see Garth Brooks and we were set to leave on Thursday, April 18th. On Wednesday the 17th (after checking my phone obsessively for days and calling more than once to ask about my results), I saw my doctor’s number light up my phone after work. I can tell you exactly what I was wearing and that I had broccoli in my hands that I was debating steaming or roasting for dinner, because that moment will live frozen in time forever as the marker between before and after my diagnosis.

I walked out in our back yard to take the call and she confirmed what I felt in my gut that it was cancer.

I took a breath, but didn’t cry (yet) and thanked her for the call, and she added “and you will need chemotherapy”. I gasped for air. I had kept myself from going down the research rabbit hole of “what ifs” and had no idea how common it is to require chemo for breast cancer (of all stages) so this was the part that shocked me the most. I pulled myself together through tears and asked if there was any other information that I needed about the type, the treatment, the stage, and she said “no, you’ll come into my office next week and you will find out everything you need to know. But for now, go and enjoy your trip as much as you can.” My husband pulled into the driveway just as I hung up and we locked eyes through his car window as I shook my head back and forth and cried. He knew the news before getting out of the car.

We cried and hugged and called my parents and sister and my best friends to tell them, but I wanted to go on this trip we had planned and wanted to wait to tell our girls until coming back and getting more information. So I wiped away the tears, put away the broccoli, ordered takeout and sat with the news. Somehow I truly was able to compartmentalize the diagnosis and truly enjoy the two days with our friends. We ate, we shopped, we saw THE MOST amazing Garth Brooks show and I couldn’t be more thankful that we had that trip planned and went.

When we got home we decided to share the news with our girls which was probably one of the hardest moments of this entire journey. I told them I had something I wanted to tell them and my 8 year old blurted out “You’re pregnant!” (which was the comic relief we all needed). When they heard the word cancer they both burst into crying fits and hugged us so tight. It felt so scary to introduce this fear into their lives but I assured them again and again that this cancer is treatable (even though I knew nothing specific about my diagnosis) and I was going to be okay, which I needed to hear as much as they did.

The next day the nurse called and asked if I’d like to move my port placement surgery up to that Wednesday, April 24th (my 38th birthday). It still amazes me that 4 weeks and 1 day after I first felt this lump, I would be diagnosed with cancer heading into a surgery in preparation for my first chemo treatment.

This was chapter 1 of my Breast Cancer journey, the chapter where my entire world was flipped upside down in a matter of weeks.

The chapter that shows you just how important it is to check your breasts for changes, to call your doctor, to make the appointment and to trust your gut. And never to believe that you’re “too young and healthy” to have breast cancer.

This is also the chapter where the love poured in.

My 38th birthday was spent recovering from surgery but it was also spent receiving flowers, cards, balloons, gifts, texts, calls, prayers and well wishes from friends, family, strangers and breast cancer fighters and survivors. And that positivity and support lifted me and carried me right into my first treatment. I felt so encouraged and loved that I didn’t get stuck in fear or trapped in the “what ifs”. I believed when it came to treatment and conquering cancer that I could “do this” and I had so much support for the days ahead when it would sometimes feel like I couldn’t.