August is here…and I ain’t July-ing. 😉 July felt so fast and furious, even though our calendar had so much white space – so I’m sure August will be full speed ahead. Through it all, though, I’m proud of myself for prioritizing rest and leaning into surrender. So much has been happening behind-the-scenes that I hope to clue you in on soon, but until then, know how much I appreciate you being here, sticking with me, and reading CUR still. This month marks 9 years of the blog which just about blows my mind – and I’m so happy + humbled that you still hang out around these rosy parts of the web. 🙂 Onto this month’s CURoundup…
JULY’S CUROUNDUP:
JULY’S PODCAST EPISODES:
1.) Trusting the Good & Choosing to Thrive when the Outcome is Unknown – with Rachel Awtrey – We’re kicking off Season 3 of THRIVE with my dear friend, Rachel Awtrey – a friendly, familiar voice to THRIVE and the girl behind the mic of one of my own personal fave podcasts, Behind the Bliss. Today we’re talking all about navigating life’s unknowns, and how it’s still possible to trust in the good and CHOOSE to thrive, even when the final destination is a big fat question mark. If you’re in a season of life right now that feels muddy or unclear, if you’re facing a few obstacles en route to uncovering God’s calling in your life, and/or if you’re a fellow Enneagram 3 (or just someone who likes to have all the answers or feel in control of all the things – hi, hello, it’s us), this episode is for you.
2.) Confidence for Introverts + Making Authentic Connections – with Stephanie Thoma – If you’re an introvert who has always struggled with the loud, bubbly, super social or dynamic vision of confidence often portrayed in the media – Stephanie Thoma is here to rock your world…and give you a confidence boost while we’re at it. Steph is a Forbes-featured leadership and life coach and the best-selling author of the networking book, Confident Introvert. She’s facilitated over 1,000 events to help people generate meaningful connections with themselves and others, and she’s got quite a few tricks up her sleeve to help you know yourself better AND share yourself with others more confidently than ever before. In today’s episode, we talk about CALM as the basis of confidence, conversion starters for more genuine and authentic connections (especially at networking events), and Stephanie also passes along some personal favorite exercises for confidence building, like the Solitude Sandwich, the Daily 3 2 1, the Big Light Secret, and more.
3.) Thriving After Birth Trauma – with Katie Fitzgerald – Anyone who has experienced birth trauma knows it to be, well, traumatic. Two members of team THRIVE have BOTH been through it and back, so let’s give a warm welcome to Katie behind the mic with Erica today as she shares her birth story and sheds light on the ongoing healing process, to get to a place of “thriving” after trauma. (Yes, it’s possible!). It ALSO just so happens to be Birth Trauma Awareness Week, so we hope this episode feels like a hug to fellow birth trauma survivors. If you haven’t experienced birth trauma, we hope it’s still an interesting listen to help you support girlfriends or sisters in future times of crisis.
4.) How to Make the Most of the Middle & Embrace Life’s “Almosts” – with Jordan Lee Dooley – No matter how much you plan and prepare, life inevitably happens…and you might find yourself with Plan A AND Plan B out the window, desperately searching for a Plan X, Y, or Z. If/when you’re thrown one curveball after another and it all feels like it’s spiraling out of control – what do you do? How do you still thrive? 2x nationally bestselling author Jordan Lee Dooley is no stranger to catching life’s curveballs, and she’s sharing her best perspective shifts and attitude adjustments to make moving forward an easier, more possible process. Jordan gives real and raw advice with practical next steps for you today if you, too, are finding yourself in one of life’s “waiting rooms” or middle grounds. Whether you’re facing “failure” in your job, are experiencing infertility, or need help staying grounded and tending to the seeds you’ve planted in faith in hard times, this episode will help you uproot limiting beliefs and get back into a hopeful posture.
JULY’S BESTSELLERS:
Top sellers are pulled from my analytics data, where I can see what YOU guys shopped + clicked the most all month long! No worries – it doesn’t tell me what all was in someone’s cart, or who bought what? But it’s helpful for me to see what’s most popular with the CURowd, and hopefully helpful/fun for YOU to see what fellow readers are shopping, too!
1.) Pink tennis dress – This little Amazon athletic dress blew UP when I shared it on Instagram Stories last week – and for good reason. I mentioned I bought about 6 different options to test – all on influencer recommendations, I’ll note – and I only kept two. This one is my favorite – it’s got adjustable racerback straps, a shelf bra with cups, and built-in shorts. It’s a great length and is super comfy, and I’ve been throwing it on repeatedly for running around.
2.) Lark & Ro dress – This Amazon dress was on SUPER sale for Prime Day – but even now, it’s 100% worth it. A fabulously stretchy dress that won’t wrinkle, it’s flattering in all the right places, feels great on your body, and is appropriate for the office/church/etc.
3.) – I grabbed this henley in this year’s NSALE before it sold out – it’s super comfy and great for throwing on over leggings or biker shorts.
4.) Laneige lip mask – The BEST overnight lip treatment I’ve ever tried, ever. Always on my vanity!
5.) Amazon wireless bra – Feels like a hug on your boobs.
6.) Mellanni sheets – FABULOUS sheets that won’t break the bank – the reviews speak for themselves!!! So many of you have grabbed these + lovelovelove, too.
7.) – Another ‘fit that broke the ‘gram last week! This cute boiler suit is a fun, flirty, feminine look for under $25 – works on me, and I’ve got a long torso! Comes in XS-3XL – bless up.
8.) – These were a top clicked item in July, but I recommend grabbing to get the look for less. They’ve got memory foam soles and are not even $15!!!
9.) Amazon slippers – As always, the slippers made the cut. Comfy, soft dupes to the $85 UGG slippers.
10.) Maybelline lippy – My favorite drugstore dupe to Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lippy. A fabulous, long wearing, not drying formula!
STUFF ON SALE:
– 25% off [code: 25JULY].
– Save up to 20% off select finds in clothing, accessories, furniture, + MORE!
– $34 cuffs + $24 wraps!
CUR DISCOUNT CODES:
REMINDER, keep this page bookmarked so that you have easy access to any/all of my CUR-exclusive discounts for you in one place! I GOTCHU, BOO.
Botanic Tree self-tanner – ERICATAN25 (25% off)
– ERICA20 (20% off)
– ERICAL (3 free cups!)
– ERICA15 (15% off)
Dime Beauty – THRIVE20 (20% off)
Equilibria CBD – ERICALIGENZA (15% off)
FabFitFun – ERICAL10
Grove Collaborative – Get a FREE Mrs. Meyer’s Gift Set when you use my link!
– ERICAL80 ($80 off your first 4 orders!)
Little Words Project – BBERICA15 (15% off)
Liquid I.V. – ERICALIGENZA (25% off!)
Loopycases – eligenza10 (10% off)
Olay – ERICALIGENZA ($5 off $50)
– ERICA ($2.50 off)
Paragon Fitwear – ERICAL10 (10% off)
– ERICA15 (15% off)
Reflections of Christ – ERICA15 (15% off)
State of Being Co. candles – ERICA15 (15% off)
– INSTA15
– ERICA15 (15% off)
– COMINGUPROSES (15% off + free shipping!)
Verb Energy Bars – Use the link to get a full sized Starter Kit PLUS 4 FREE bars for HALF PRICE ($10!)