Kimberly Henricks

When asked as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said a nurse. And had my answer been a lawyer or a firefighter, I had that choice too ... thanks to the notorious RBG. ✨ I suspect like many of you, I was ill-prepared for the news of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday ... and I’m not quite ready to accept it. We’ve lost a brilliant legal mind, a voice for what is right, a voice for those without one, a hero, a pioneer, and an icon. ✨ RBG fought for women’s rights. She fought for minority rights. She fought for my right to choose the career I want. She fought for all of us ... and we will continue to fight for the things she cared about in a way that will lead others to join us ... just as RBG once said. ✨ My husband and I watched “On The Basis of Sex” last night, and as Felicity Jones — portraying RBG — ascended the steps of the Supreme Court at the end of the film, I could feel the tears welling in my eyes ... and when RBG herself appeared, they flowed. ✨ The flowed for the loss of this phenomenal woman, they flowed for her family, they flowed for our nation ... and they flowed because I’m so incredibly proud to be a woman ... a woman who’s able to do what she loves. ✨ Rest In Peace, RBG ... we owe you everything. 🖤 Illustration: @bijoukarman #rbg #notoriousrbg #riprbg #ruthbaderginsburg #onthebasisofsex #whentherearenine

Y’all. Today is my first — and last — Labor Day as an unemployed person ... I GOT A JOB! ✨ I’m super excited to announce that I accepted a position as an RN health coach with a behavioral health company a few weeks ago, and I start tomorrow! ✨ As many of you know, I was let go from my former company at the beginning of the year after almost 20 years. I was also extremely privileged to be able to take some time off to rest, recharge, and re-evaluate my career path. ✨ What you also know (if you’ve been following my little old Instagram account for awhile!) is that I’ve developed an immense passion for health, fitness, and mindful wellness over the past few years. After reflecting on the amount of knowledge I’ve gained on my personal health and self-development journey — and after realizing how much I missed making a direct impact on patient’s lives — I decided to take off my product manager hat and pursue a career in health coaching ... and I made my dream come true! ✨ I’m also cooking up some other health coaching plans so keep your eyes on this account ... and you can best bet I’ll be sharing more information and opening up some honest discussions about diet culture, informed eating, fitness, mindfulness, self-love, and self-care right here as well! ✨ Happy Labor Day, my friends!

In the immortal words of @thepouf, “One day, it will all make sense.” ✨ I think it’s safe to say that 2020 has been an incredibly uncertain/emotional/bizarre/“insert adjective of choice” year for all of us ... between a global pandemic and a country (rightfully) filled with civil unrest, it’s no surprise that Google searches for anxiety-related terms have reached record highs. ✨ For me, being unemployed this entire year has added another layer of uncertainty as well. I’ve had a full-time job since I graduated from college so not working for the last 9 months has been interesting to say the least — both emotionally and financially. ✨ Having said all that, my husband and I recently had a talk about the silver linings that have shown themselves throughout this year ... giving us a glimpse that, yes, one day everything we’ve gone through in 2020 truly will make sense. ✨ Personally, we’ve both learned that we don’t need nearly as much as we thought we did to be happy ... and we’ve realized that being able to pursue our dream jobs — even if they pay less than what we’re used to — is an opportunity we don’t want to pass up. Stay tuned for more on that from me soon [insert winking emoji here]. ✨ So, my friends ... what are some of the positive lessons you’ve learned throughout this oddly strange year? Leave me a comment, and share it with the world! 📸: @thepouf

That’s it. That’s the post. ✨

Happy National Prosecco Day! 🥂 As I mentioned in a previous post, I like my beverages with bubbles — be that sparkling water, a crisp cider, or a glass of champagne, cava, or today’s celebrant ... prosecco. 🥂 Prosecco tends to be sweeter and fruitier than champagne or cava, and it’s usually my go-to for sparkling wine. Having said that ... the older I get, the less alcohol I’ve found myself drinking. It’s not uncommon for me to choose to go weeks without having a drink (yes, even in quarantine), and when I do drink, I’m usually one and done as any more than that brings a not-so-fun feeling. I guess it’s safe to say I was on the “mindful drinking” bandwagon long before it became a trend. 🥂 What is mindful drinking? It’s the concept of being intentional with your decisions around alcohol in order to create a healthy relationship with it ... and may include abstinence even for those without alcohol use problems. 🥂 Benefits of mindful drinking tend to include more energy, better sleep, and improved coping methods ... and it may actually enhance your social life. I still drink, and I still enjoy it ... but doing so mindfully makes it even better. So, whether you prefer to raise a glass of prosecco or sparkling grape juice today, either way is totally acceptable! 🥂 Tell me ... do you practice mindful drinking? What’s your go-to beverage to celebrate a special occasion? 📸: @unsplash

Same girl, same. ✨ Ok, peeps ... I’m taking a poll. Are you team early, team late, or team right on time? ✨ Drop a 🧡 in the comments if you’re team early, drop a 💛 if you’re team late, or drop a 💙 if you’re team right on time. ✨ ・・・ #Repost @jessicajanesammut ・・・ Actually, I think this has always been my life motto. #boom #worththewait #alwayslate

Happy Sunday, friends! ✨ Yesterday was the final day of @brittnae.giesau’s #iamsupported7days challenge, but instead of “celebrating my damn self” as the challenge called for, I took a self-care day instead ... though I guess that is celebrating myself too! ✨ So, here I am ... celebrating the end of this fabulous challenge that helped me further develop some positive daily habits ... and celebrating the fact that I shared an actual selfie for the first time in years! ✨ Since there’s a lot of new faces around here, this is also a great excuse to introduce myself to you all and share a few fun facts about me! ✨ Hi, I’m Kimberly, and I want to use my space here on Instagram to inspire you to live well mindfully — be that through honest discussions about diet culture, informed eating, mindfulness, self-love, and self-care ... or by sharing my tips and tricks to help you navigate through it all. ✨ I’m a Libra through and through, but even I don’t balance it all most days. ✨ I have way too many tabs open on my laptop all. the. time. ✨ I’m currently binging Little Fires Everywhere, and I love it. ✨ I prefer my beverages with bubbles — whether water or something else. ✨ I once bought Tone Loc a footlong corn dog. TRUE STORY. ✨ Now that I’ve shared some interesting things about me, it’s your turn. Leave me a comment telling me a fun fact about you ... or use this time to celebrate yourself and tell me something you’re proud of these days!

Happy Friday, y’all! We made it to the end of another week ... give yourself a round of applause! ✨ On a not-so-happy note, this also means we’re nearing the end of @brittnae.giesau’s #iamsupported7days challenge ... but it isn’t over yet! Today, we’re talking about getting in your veggies! ✨ I’m not sure about you, but some days I struggle to get in five servings of fruits and veggies ... so if you too need some easy ways to up your veggie intake, here are my favorite tips and tricks! ✨ 1. Hungry for a snack? Keep a bowl of cut-up vegetables in a see-through container in the refrigerator. Carrot and celery sticks are traditional, but don’t forget about red or green pepper strips, broccoli florets, or cucumber slices. 2. Another snack option? Sip on some vegetable soup. This is also a great idea for those soon-to-be chilly autumn days ... nutrition and warmth! 3. Short on time? Pick up pre-washed bags of salad greens, throw in some baby carrots and grape tomatoes, and you’ve got a salad ready in minutes.  4. Finally, put together some vegetable kabobs the next time you’re grilling. Try tomatoes, mushrooms, yellow squash, green peppers, and onions for a colorful side dish! ✨ Okay, friends, tell me ... how do you add extra veggies to your day? Leave me a comment, and let me know! 📸: @the_ivorymix

Turn on the TV. Open your email. Check social media. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that within a few minutes of doing any one of these activities, you’ll see a reminder to take care of yourself ... especially these days. Yes, talk of self-care is everywhere ... and we’re talking about it on day five of @brittnae.giesau’s #iamsupported7days challenge. ✨ Obviously, making sure you take good care of your body, mind, and soul is important — we are in the middle of a global pandemic, after all — and I’m certain each one of us is struggling in some way. But, I think many people get caught up in this grandiose idea of what self-care *has* to be. ✨ A luxurious bubble bath surround by scented candles and soothing music? A 90-minute hot stone massage? I mean, I wouldn’t turn down either of those things, but let’s face it ... not everyone has the time OR money to indulge in those forms of self-care. ✨ So, I’m here to tell you that self-care doesn't have to be elaborate. Making sure you get enough sleep, taking a 5-minute walk around the neighborhood, or even just saying thank you when someone gives you a compliment are all simple acts of self-care that can make an impact. ✨ It isn't selfish to take care of yourself ... and I’m pretty sure we all have our own unique ways of practicing self-care so leave a comment with your best self-care tips so we can learn from each other! 📸: @stock_byjewels

How many of you have set a goal, started off strong, then realized weeks later that your goal is now a distance memory? ✨ If you said yes, please know this ... it happens to everyone! One of the most common reasons is because it’s easy to set a goal ... but how often do you truly check back in with your actions and hold yourself accountable? ✨ Today is day four of @brittnae.giesau’s #iamsupported7days challenge, and both she and I are challenging you to check in with yourself. How are you honoring your intentions? How are you honoring your goals? Are you celebrating the progress you’ve made so far? ✨ For me, I’m happy to report that I’ve gotten some purposeful movement in every day (and I’m drinking more water too), but I need to do better with writing down what I’m grateful for each day ... and putting my phone away earlier each night too. Like I said, it happens to us all ... and it’s okay. ✨ Tell me ... how are you progressing against your goals?

Y’all. I love water ... swimming in it, playing in the ocean in it, and drinking it! So, it’s no surprise that I’m stoked about day three of @brittnae.giesau’s #iamsupported7days challenge ... it’s all about hydration! ✨ It’s no secret that staying hydrated has a ton of health benefits. It keeps your body temperature normal, helps maintain your balance of bodily fluids (your body is 60% water, after all!), helps energize your muscles, and keeps your skin looking good! ✨ I’m lucky that I just naturally love to drink water, but if you need a little help to increase your water intake, here are some of my favorite tricks! ✨ 1. Add some flavor to your water; even a squeeze of lemon can do the trick. 2. Drink a glass of water after every trip to the bathroom. 3. Emptied your water bottle? Immediately fill it up again so you’re ready to go. 4. Use an app to track your water intake. ✨ Whatever trick you use, I encourage you to go get a glass of water to hydrate now. And then tell me ... what tips and tricks do you have to get more water every day? Share them in the comments! 📸: @the_ivorymix

Hey, y’all! Today is day two of @brittnae.giesau’s #iamsupported7days challenge, and it’s all about developing habits! ✨ Brittnae challenged us to think of three easy habits that we’d like to focus on this week ... I’ll go first, okay? ✨ I’m going to 1) start writing down one thing I'm grateful for each day, 2) putting my phone away 30 minutes before bed, and 3) drinking more water each day (stay tuned for more info on that tomorrow). ✨ Want to start developing some habits of your own? My tip is to make them so easy at first that you can't say no! Looking to build an exercise habit? Exercise for 5 minutes today, then start building on that. Want to start a writing habit? Write 5 sentences today, then build on that. So, tell me ... what habits are you going to focus on building this week? 📸: @the_ivorymix

Happy Sunday, friends! ✨ One of the things I love most about Instagram is the connections you make. Enter @brittnae.giesau. I found Brittnae on Instagram at the beginning of the year and signed up for her “Ditch the Diet Life” program a few weeks later (more to come on that, but if I had to describe it with one adjective, it would be life-changing). When Brittnae recently announced her #iamsupported7days challenge, I immediately signed up. ✨ Today is day one of the challenge, and it’s all about intention setting. Brittnae challenged us to think about how we want to feel and what we want to get out of the next 7 days. For me, I‘ve been hyper-focused on finding a full-time job and making business plans of my own (umm ... consider that a spoiler), and I haven’t been prioritizing fitness the last few weeks ... and my body can tell. So, my intention for this week is to purposely move my body every day — whether that's strength training (fun fact ... I love lifting weights), yoga, or even a walk around the neighborhood — because it not only makes my body feel good, but my mind too. ✨ I’m also inviting you to join Brittnae’s (free!) challenge so head over to her profile to sign up ... and drop me a comment telling me what intention you’ll be setting this week! 📸: @the_ivorymix

Forgive me, Instagram, for I have sinned. It’s been 854 days since my last post. ✨ While I say that in jest, the pressure to keep the content churning on social media can often make taking a break feel like it’s a sin ... but sometimes, we just gotta step away so consider this your permission slip to do just that. ✨ And while I don’t believe you owe anyone an explanation for your absence, I do believe in authenticity and I value being able to use this space to encourage, educate, and uplift others so here’s a little bit about what I’ve been up to. ✨ A little over two years ago, I took on a new role at my former company and poured my all into it, including the time I should have given to myself. What did I get in return? Stress, frustration, gripping self-doubt, a severe case of impostor syndrome, and in January of this year ... a severance package. Yep, I got let go. ✨ I woke up the next day and decided to put my time and energy back into myself. I went to therapy. I took an amazing self-development course. I started working out and doing yoga again. I spent time figuring out where I want my career to go — in a way that both fuels my passion and gives back to the world. But most importantly, I sat with the hard shit. The shit we don’t want to face about ourselves, but know we have too. The shit that’s shaped who we are and held us back from being who we want to be. I thought long and hard about who I truly was and what’s actually important me ... and today, the view of my future is a lot different than what I thought it would be two years ago. ✨ So, here I am ... with a renewed sense of self and a new direction. I can’t wait to tell you more about it soon.

mic. fucking. dropped. 🙌🏻 🙌🏻 🙌🏻 To the students of Parkland and all the students who organized marches yesterday, we have your back. We believe that you can affect change. We believe you are the future ... and I for one welcome our new youthful overlords. 📸: @padmalakshmi #marchforourlives #enoughisenough #stopgunviolence #guncontrolnow