screen play | vol. 1

seasonal changes seem to bring more than just new weather... especially as we move towards winter - colder, darker - it's easy to feel unsettled or misunderstood. at least that's how I've been feeling lately. whether it's a breakup, work struggles, grown-up decisions or anything else, it's important to remember the wise words of T. Swift: shake it off. hopefully these desktop wallpapers will give you the boost you need!

click here to download dots one wallpaper.

click here to download how far wallpaper.

click here to download dots two wallpaper.

click here to download shake it off wallpaper.


xo emily

global dance: let the countdown begin!

In a little less than a month, I get to do something I've literally been waiting years for. Global Dance Festival 2014 is happening at Red Rocks, and I'll be there with one of my best friends for the entire weekend. I've been dying to get to a concert Red Rocks - it looks gorgeous, and there's even Yoga on the Rocks (cool, right?!) Oh, and it's on my 101 in 1001 list!

Now that plane tickets are officially booked, it's finally time to let the excitement sink in and start mentally preparing: packing and trip planning!

Packing.

Apart from the obviously amazing sold-out weekend of awesome music and BFF quality time, this wouldn't be a true Emily-concert-experience without some major outfit planning. The key: super fun but also comfy.

Here are some highlights, and my three rules of festival packing:

Shop this scoop:
1. Coconut & Pear Lip Balm 2. Floral Print Sneakers 3. Flash Tattoos 4. Crystal & Leather Wrap Bracelet 5. JustLikeNeon Headbands 6. Off-the-Shoulder Dress 7. Pullover Hoodie 8. Eye Pencil 9. Sequin Mini Skirt 10. Nail Polish 11. Metal Aviators

Rule No. 1 - Sparkle.

The more sparkle the better, especially with a fun skirt, bright nail polish, or temporary, metallic tattoos. Major upgrade from the lick-and-stick ones from childhood. And I'm always looking for an excuse to buy another shade of my favorite eyeliner.

Speaking of sparkle... I may try my hand at one or all of these (you can find them on my Pinterest!):

Rule No. 2 - Cozy and cute.

Plane ride and post-concert cozy sweatshirt, because nothing beats getting back to the car after tons of dancing and having a change of clothes. Also, patterned sneaks and a casual dress are the best for concerts... as long as you're not planning to crowd surf!

Rule No. 3 - Accessorize.

But keep them minimal and functional. Bright lenses to keep the setting sun out of your eyes and a super pretty headband are essentials.

Also, Ryan... I'm getting you these bad boys.

And now for part two...


Planning.

One of my awesome fellow barre instructors-in-training sent me the best list of must-hit places. Super handy that she has lived in Denver and knows the inside scoop! Here's the list that she shared with me... thank you Hannah!

I decided to start my day (and possibly yours) with some Denver recommendations. It's seriously such a cool & fun place, that I love looking back over the places to check out! Best happy hour: Linger - http://lingerdenver.com/
Best tacos: Pinche - http://tacostequilawhiskey.com/
Best Mexican: Margs - http://www.margstacobistro.com/ or 
Mezcal - http://www.mezcalcolorado.com/ (depending on where you are)
Best veg fare: City O City - http://www.cityocitydenver.com/
Best recovery breakfast: Snooze - http://www.snoozeeatery.com/ Best recovery breakfast outside of Denver: The Buff in Boulder - http://www.buffrestaurant.com/ Best coffee: Stella's Coffee Haus - http://www.stellascoffee.com/ Best farmer's market: Sundays @ Old South Pearl Street are awesome - http://southpearlstreet.com/ Best food truck: Quiero Arepas - http://quieroarepas.com/ Best brew list: Freshcraft - http://www.yelp.com/biz/freshcraft-denver Best place to be ridiculous: Cowboy Lounge - http://www.tavernhg.com/cowboy-lounge Best place to chill: Ace - http://www.acedenver.com/ Best late night pizza: Fat Sully's Pizza - http://www.fatsullys.com/ Best workout: Tease - http://www.teasestudio.com/ This may have gotten out of control because I miss it a lot. You really can't go wrong with any places you wind up eating and enjoying yourself at! These places are all over the city, so they'll give you a good look at the various neighborhoods if you visit any of them. Enjoy!

Is she amazing or what?
I'm also definitely going to try to squeeze in a trip to the Denver Art Museum. One of my favorite pics from my last adventure there:

Aaaand I just realized that this is happening at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Absolutely adding to the list.

If you have any Denver or dance festival recommendations, send them my way!

xo Emily

P.S. I've been dancing to the official Global Dance 2014 Spotify Playlist all week (at my standing desk). It's pretty great.

sorry, not sorry.

On my way home from the studio last night, I stopped at Healthy Living to grab dinner and a few groceries. There were several people scoping out the salad bar, and actually going at it from the wrong  end (totally didn't mind, just saying!) As I went to reach for a to-go container I said, "Excuse me, I just need to grab one of these," and then... wait for it... "Sorry!"

Why did I apologize?

I do it all the time. Unnecessarily apologize. I do it before I ask questions. I do it when someone walks around me at the grocery store. I do it before I tell someone I miss them. I've even done it when someone spilt something on me. Seriously... why am I apologizing so much?

Apparently, I'm not alone.

...I'm looking at you, ladies. Several studies, like this one conducted at the University of Waterloo, note a pretty major gender gap when it comes to the frequency of and reasons for apologies. It's suggested that women may apologize as an act of peace-keeping; that we may be more hard-wired for harmony and nurturing than our male counterparts... but I'm not sure I buy that generalization. I know lots of harmony-seeking guys, and plenty of females that are only capable of telling it like it is, sans remorse.

Another possible reason that hits much closer to home: a lack of confidence. Nailed it. I'm doing it because I'm insecure in these moments: I think what I have to ask or say is dumb, or I feel like I'm in the way. But saying "I'm sorry" is only reinforcing my insecurity. It's like I'm expecting that the person I'm apologizing to will jump on my self-depreciating band wagon and tell me I'm taking too long to pick out peanut butter, or that I'm totally hogging our mutual arm rest. But that never happens. The other person probably isn't even concerned with what I'm doing, and while I'm worrying about apologizing, they're thinking about something that has nothing to do with me. They're unaffected and I walk away feeling like I did something wrong.

But I didn't do anything wrong.

Which brings me to an interesting point from that Waterloo study:

“Men aren’t actively resisting apologizing because they think it will make them appear weak or because they don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. It seems to be that when they think they’ve done something wrong they do apologize just as frequently as when women think they’ve done something wrong. It’s just that they think they’ve done fewer things wrong.”

Guys, you're practically flawless, right? Of course you're going to apologize less. But really, they may actually be on to something here. Why do we assume that we're in the wrong, even when we're not? "I'm sorry" goes beyond trying to ease an awkward situation and actually translates to accepting the blame. It's only a matter of time before auto-apologies deflate not only our self-esteem, but also others' confidence in us. Check out the impact in this new ad by Pantene:

So... How do we get rid of the "I'm sorry" crutch?

- Start keeping track; when you are doing it, how often, and why. Is an "I'm sorry" needed? Do you act like you killed someone if you step on their foot?

- Save the sorries. Make them count. If you're constantly saying it, it's not going to be as powerful when friends, family or coworkers really need to hear it.

- Change it up. Learn to apologize differently. One of my favorites is to replace sorry with thank you. If you're running late, you can thank them for their patience.


Give yourself and those around you a little boost by owning your questions and actions. Good luck, and don't be sorry!


xo Emily

from a customer's sales training: notes via quotes.

Sometimes, I have tough work days; really tough, question your brain and existence days. Other times (pretty often) I have oh-my-god-my-job-is-the-most-fun days. Example: last week I was invited to a customer's sales training retreat at Jay Peak Resort. This was exciting for several reasons:

1. I'm not in sales. I'm in marketing.
Ok, to be fair, the argument can be made that everyone is in sales. And there has to be synergy between sales and marketing for them to both be as effective as possible. But this event is hosted by one of our customers for their sales staff, and a small group of outside sales vendors are allowed to attend as well... but this year, plus one. Me!

2. It was held at Jay Peak Resort.
I had never been, and now I'm dying to go back. The rooms, food, and activities were incredible. There is plenty to do there whether the sun is shining or snow is falling: unwind at the spa, play golf, go hiking, play at the indoor water park, and of course ski or board in the winter.

3. They're a great company. 
I love working with them on projects, and they have the whole Made in Vermont thing going for them, not just with words but with action. They're small in size but huge in success.

This year, their keynote speaker was Garrison Wynn, author of The Real Truth About Success (we received a copy during the retreat, and I just started reading it). He spoke with us for two days, sharing his insight, posing tough questions, and getting us out of our comfort zone.

As I started taking notes, I realized that I was writing down a lot of things I already knew, but in a way that I hadn't really heard them before.

Simple is the new smart.
This is basically a different version of one of my favorite quotes:
"Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler." -Albert Einstein 
But really, everything is leaning towards less clutter: website design, logos and packaging, advertising campaigns. And when we get rid of the clutter, messaging and communication works better. Period.

Having value is not as valuable as explaining it well.
This was one of my favorites. I mean damn. It really doesn't matter if you're great at something if no one knows it. This is just as important for your personal brand as it is for your work. If you can successfully market yourself, everything is going to benefit, both personally and professionally.

If you don't stand up for the change, you lose your influence.
There is no point in making a change if you're not all in. New sales strategy? Don't revert to the old way because it's "easier". It didn't work. Out with the old. Not enforcing a rule or change, especially one that you create, is a recipe for disaster. Its the fastest way to lose the respect of your team, making every future change an opportunity for friction instead of progress.

The only way to know what someone values is to ask questions.
Find out what's important to them. Ask about what is working for them. Ask about their issues or concerns. Ask!

Low price = high risk. High price = low risk.
The age-old excuse to poor sales is that the price is too high. It's not. If the price was unrealistically high, the company wouldn't be in business. Get behind whatever it is you're selling and know what it brings to the table: value-add services. Most importantly, know your competition, and know what you have that they don't.

The foundation of true agreement is disagreement.
Having your opinion challenged is the best way to really get behind it. It forces you to dive deeper and learn more about both sides of the situation. Shutting down and not being receptive to another point of view guarantees that your knowledge and success will be limited at best.

Gratitude attracts better opportunities.
Be appreciative of whatever situation you're in. Even if it's difficult, focus on the fact that it's pushing you to be a smarter, stronger person. If it's great, don't coast. Work just as hard because the second you stop struggling, you stop improving.

Your best people will leave. The people who suck are with you for life.
This isn't always true, but it is definitely the case for the majority. In order to keep those "best", get to know them. How do they like to be challenged and recognized? This depends on the individual - their background, their age, their personality. In order to keep great employees, they way you interact with them absolutely can't be one size fits all.

Your beliefs create your experiences.
If you believe something to be so, the chances of that believe becoming reality are sky high. We can create our own success or failure. I've learned this lesson so many times the hard way: difficult relationships - letting nerves overcome me before presentations - but recently I've realized that if I flip my perspective, I can do pretty amazing things.

A goal is a dream with deadlines. 
Bam. Write it down. Set a date. Make a plan. Also write down the things that are blocking you from accomplishing that goal. Be honest - your blocks might surprise you. Bottom line: have a to-do list every. single. day.

Sometimes, all you need is to hear the same thing in a different way for it to really hit home, or maybe just need to hear it a bunch (the Rule of Seven?) All of this is so relevant to every job and even every personal situation. I think the most important thing that I took away from the two days is this:

You can only control yourself. 
Keep it simple. Be able to explain your value. Set the example. Ask questions. Get behind what you're selling. Disagree. Be thankful. Appreciate your team. Believe you can. Make a list.

Now go do it!