On the Bright Side

Let me save you a few years...from someone who's spent over a decade in therapy, these are the lessons I wish I could tell my younger self. We're talking about why mean people operate out of insecurity, grieving friendship breakups, not letting anxiety make decisions for you, overcoming embarrassment, and realizing you don't need to have your whole life figured out. Whether you're...

In honor of OCD Awareness Week, I wanted to share my story. OCD can be an incredibly silent and misunderstood struggle, and so many people are fighting battles that the world never sees. In this episode, I’m opening up about my personal experience with OCD, the thoughts and fears I’ve struggled with, and the things that have helped me heal. My hope is to help someone feel a little less alone, brin...

For the people who feel smaller than their anxiety, don’t feel brave enough to go after what they want, or believe the cards they were dealt dictate how they have to live their life. I’ve gotten a lot of messages asking me how I did it. How, as someone with debilitating anxiety, did I manage to move 16 hours away from everything I knew and build a life for myself? There’s no one answer. It was a l...

The loudest boos come from the cheapest seats. Maybe the people who have the most to say about our lives are the people who know the least about them. We’re all watching from different seats, yet somehow we tend to let every opinion carry the same weight. HINT: the only opinions that matter, are from people you WOULD trade places with. At some point, you have to decide who gets a frontrow seat, wh...

What if the decisions you regret most weren’t actually mistakes?? In this episode, I’m talking about starting over, changing your mind, outgrowing people, places, jobs, and even versions of yourself...and why we’re so quick to label something a “waste of time” just because it didn’t last. Plus, the pressure to have your life figured out by a certain age and what happens when the timeline you plann...

When I went through friendship breakups, I thought they were a bad thing. I replayed every conversation, wondering what I could’ve done differently. But over time, I realized sometimes friendship endings are a beautiful thing. We outgrow people, and they outgrow us. Some people are meant to be in our lives for a chapter, not the whole story. And that doesn’t mean anyone has to be the bad guy. Some...

23 called for some of the biggest lessons life has taught me so far. It led me to move to Charleston, put my anxiety in the back seat, open doors I never thought I would, and learn to do things scared...all while surrounded by the people I love. I truly believe we're put on this earth to experience life, grow through it, and share what we learn with others. So this is your reminder: do it scar...

One thing I’ve learned is that you can be in a room full of people and still feel lonelier than when you’re alone. Sometimes we force ourselves into rooms that were never meant for us, full of people who aren't for us. But the truth is, everyone deserves a room where they feel seen, safe, and fully themselves. After all, I'd rather have 3 best friends who truly get me than 15 friends who o...

I moved 16 hours away to Charleston alone and quickly realized something no one tells you about making friends in your twenties: Nobody's coming to hand you a friend group. It's all up to you to build one. So instead of waiting to be included, I took my own friendship advice..( and it's honestly the reason for the healthy friendships I have now) Turns out community isn' t something...

I named my anxiety Lucy…and it helped me realize that I am not my anxiety. After all these years together (she's been living rent free), I figured it was time she got a proper introduction. For a long time, Lucy and I weren't exactly friends. I used to let her control every part of my life (she’s a diva like that).She convinced me that every worst case scenario was reality and that worryin...

When it comes to having a village, everyone wants one. We want the thoughtful birthday celebrations, the check in texts, and all the little loving gestures that make you feel seen. But no one really talks about what it actually takes to have that kind of village in the first place. Because the truth is, you do have to be a villager to have a village. You have to show up. You have to remember the b...

No one is coming to tell you when it’s time to take the next step. No one is going to tell you that you have to do it scared. It’s you and your life. And the difference between living a mundane one and an extraordinary one… is what you choose to do with that fear. There’s no handbook for doing things scared. No moment where it suddenly makes perfect sense. No signal telling you your body is ready....

Sometimes we’re the glue, or the empath, or just the safe place someone needs without even realizing it… until we become the bridge to their destination. We get them there, we help them move forward… and then we get burned. And no one really likes to admit that part. Not that we’re sitting around waiting for thank yous in friendships, but it hits differently when there’s no acknowledgment. None. N...

On this episode of  On the Bright Side , I’m joined by Reagan LeRoy to talk about what it really looks like to chase a dream that doesn’t come with a 9–5 schedule, guaranteed paycheck, or clear timeline. From moving to Charleston alone to navigating sober curiosity and the very public reality of failing on the internet, we talk about figuring it out as we go,and the decisions that brought us here....

Have you ever noticed how people can love everything you do… just not when you’re the one doing it? Their idol posts it and it’s called ambition. You post it and it’s called trying too hard. In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when someone has already decided who you are in their story, and no matter what you say or do, the narrative doesn’t change. At some point, you realize you can’t...

On this episode of On the Bright Side, content creator Sam Souder joins me to answer your advice asks that some of you HAD to keep anonymous. Like what do you do when your best friend knows you’re interviewing for your dream job… and applies behind your back... We’re diving into confidence, getting past your anxiety , social climbers, healthy love that feels too good to be true, and why we’re alwa...

There has never been a plan B. On this episode of OTBS, I’m talking about what it truly means to commit to your dreams…without giving yourself an out. From moving to Charleston with no backup plan, to figuring out how to pay my bills, navigating self doubt, and building a career off social media, this episode is all about choosing your dream over comfort.  I open up about side jobs, sacrifices, an...

If we spend all of our 20s single, that’s only 1/9 of our entire life (the average lifespan is around 90). But the love we intentionally give ourselves during that time can completely change the course of our life for the better. Learning to be self sufficient and to live on our own is a privilege, one that older generations of women didn’t always have. Being single, whether it’s your first time i...

Put a finger down if you’ve ever been told you were crazy for hurting over someone you never dated…we’ll put our fingers down now. Sure, we’ve all heard it. But unlabeled love still hurts, sometimes more than the kind with a title. (And for anyone about to call us dramatic…there’s the door.) In this episode, I sit down with best selling author, situationship expert Alissa DeRogatis, the woman Peop...

It’s out with the old and in with the new...yes, Sharpay said it best. Of course the last episode of 2025 is all about what’s coming with us into 2026 and what’s staying back in 2025… like typing in lowercase, which really should not have even entered 2023, but I digress. So what’s  in  for 2026? Fast-forming friendships, intentional spending, and therapy...even on your good days. And what’s  out...

In your 20s, you will be faced with the comparison trap, where you think you’re behind, success-shame yourself, and feel like everyone else is living these perfectly put together lives. It’s important not to believe that. On this episode of OTBS, we’re talking about the comparison trap of your 20s… the one where you scroll for five minutes and suddenly feel behind in life, under accomplished, and...

HEYYY to my fellow left out people!! On this episode of On the Bright Side, we’re getting real about that feeling of being purposely left out. You know that moment where you realize you weren’t invited and it hits way harder than it should? Yeah… I know that feeling a little too well. But here’s the truth: it was never actually about you. It was about the inviter: the jealousy, the insecurity, the...

The past has a funny way of showing up… usually right when we least want it to. Maybe that’s the true meaning behind Blackout Wednesday, Thanksgiving, or any hometown reunion...not the celebration, but the confrontation. Because nothing quite rattles us like accidentally locking eyes with an ex, an old situationship, or that one hometown hater who still thinks they know who we are. But it makes yo...

We accept that food expires, jobs end, and relationships change so why is it so hard to accept that friendships can, too? In this episode, I talk about the not so fun reality of friendship breakups… because unfortunately, there’s no “how-to” guide. Do we wish them a happy birthday? Do we block them? Why can’t they just apologize? Because honestly sometimes I want to shake them until they do. The t...

Have you ever wanted to be the person who is irresistible? Who can command a room with their level of confidence? Who presence simply just glows? DUH I would think we all do, but how? Well on this episode of OTBS, I learned all about aura, and I’m sharing everything with you !!! Your aura isn’t just about looking put together or happy, it’s the energy that follows when you walk into a room. Just l...