Bring Joy on Sweet Tooth Courtney

This interview is first in a series, called Bring Joy on... (Bring Joy is the name of my new blog/site, which will be launching soon!) where I'll be interviewing inspiring women who I feel have something fresh to bring to the table (figuratively, and sometimes literally).

I've mentioned that with the new changes to my blog, I want to expand the theme and scope of my blog so that it's not just limited to vegan food/health. I happen to be vegan and I love food, but that's not all I want to talk about here. I want to talk about the other things in my life that are important to me & that I know are important to you, too.

One thing that is important to me is learning from other people. I find other human beings fascinating creatures. I want to learn more about what makes them tick, what they are good at, and what they have to teach me.

Which means, these women in this series are usually going to be different from me. They won't necessarily be moms, or vegan, or fitness buffs, although they may be some of these things.

Some women coming up in this series will be designers, photographers, and artists.

The common thread will always be that I feel they have something to offer or teach us, and help us become better.

In nutshell:

This series will give you & me an opportunity to get to know some amazing, unique, and talented women, and hopefully learn a few things in the process!

Sounds exciting, huh? Let's get started, shall we?

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Today's spotlight will be on Ms. Courtney, who blogs at Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life.

What first impressed me about Courtney is the warmth and vitality she shares with her readers. Not only is she gorgeous, she's very open & down to earth, which makes so many women drawn to her blog.

While she's not vegetarian, she has an approach to nutrition and healthy living that I think is great (she has some really great workout ideas too!).

Hope you enjoy getting to know this engaging woman as much as I did.

The Interview

J: First, thanks so much for taking the time to chat. You have a blog, where your trademark is: "in a life of healthy food, fitness, and fashion, there's always room for dessert!"

I love that. Tell us more about that, and what you want to let your readers know through your blog.

C: I think the one thing that I hope that readers take away from reading my blog is that a healthy, balanced lifestyle is attainable for anyone.

It’s important to take care of your body and strive to live a healthy life, but it’s also just as important, if not more so, to just live your life.

Have fun, indulge a little, spend time with friends and family.

J: You have a real genuine tone and a warmth in your blog, I really get the feeling you enjoy sharing your life with your readers, which takes a confident person to do so.

How do you handle living the blogging life? I know that it's a balance, and I don't always know where to do draw the line of how much to share, or what to share.

What's your approach to the work/life balance, especially as it relates to blogging?

C: I actually really love sharing my life with my readers, but I will admit that at times, it is definitely challenging. I mean, I definitely put a lot out there (although not everything – I’m not THAT open, haha).

It does take some balance, and it has taken a lot of trial and error to figure out what works best in terms of balancing work and life.

There are certain things I like to keep private, and I’ve always stuck to that. But for the most part, I just share whatever comes to mind. I’m always thinking of ways that I can share things with readers or come up with different blog posts, and I’ll be honest...there are days where my brain is just fried and can’t do it anymore. Those are the days I know I need to take a step back and readjust.

J: Yes, I can totally relate to that.

I have to say, when I first came across your blog, it caught my eye. You have three f's, food, fitness and fashion, and I have 3 f's that I like to focus on in my blog, similar to yours, but mine are food, family, and fitness. So we have some things in common. And I, like you, think there is definitely room in this world for dessert!

Since you're new to many of the readers of this blog, tell us a little bit about yourself--where you're from, what makes you tick, what you really enjoy doing.

C: I'm 28 years old and I currently live in Upstate, NY with my husband, Jay, and my cat, Cody.

I recently left my career as an elementary school teacher and decided to persue my passion of fitness with personal training. In December, I received my CPT through NASM and in January, began working at a local gym as a personal trainer.

When I’m not working at the gym, I’m most likely either working on my blog, baking in the kitchen, spending time with friends and family, or relaxing on the couch in my cozies catching up on my DVR.

J: You've got a full plate, that's for sure. Okay, three words to describe yourself?

C: Driven, easy-going, and fun. Definitely fun.

J: You initially began blogging because you wanted to share with others that a healthy balanced life is attainable. What does healthy and balanced mean to you?

C: I never deprive myself of my favorite indulgences, but am constantly striving to maintain an overall healthy attitude about food, fitness, & life.

If I want a piece of cake, I’m going to have it. If I want a cup of fro-yo with loads of toppings, you can bet I’m going to go for it. But I also love eating big, healthy salads and lots of veggies too. Nobody is perfect, and I think that’s important to remember.

J: I can't agree more. Each individual needs to figure out what works for them, and what they need to do to have a healthy lifestyle, which can include those indulgences like cake and ice cream.

What's your main goal with your blog? You touch on fitness, health, relationships, food, fashion. Is there any one of those that you think is more important than the others?

C: I think the two that I tend to focus on the most are food and fitness because they are the two that I am most passionate about.

As much as I love talking about the great deals I may have found while bargain shopping, I’d much rather talk about a new workout I tried or a new dinner recipe we created.

J: You and your husband have a really sweet story. You've been together for over 10 years!

Please do tell how you guys make it work, and any insights on how to build a strong relationship/marriage.

C: Haha, oh boy. I’m not sure how well I’m going to be able to respond to this one!

My husband and I have been dating since 1998, and have been married a little over two years. During that time, we broke up for a year which is probably the best thing that we could have done for ourselves – both as a couple, and as individuals.

Because we starting dating so young, we both really needed to take some time to discover who we were as individuals and basically just grow up. We both learned a lot during that time apart, and I’d say the biggest thing for us is to keep communication open. It’s something that we still work toward on a daily basis, and it’s not always easy, but we make the effort, which is why it works. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that we’re both goofballs and just love to have fun!

J: Communication is where it's at, but that's often the most challenging aspect of a relationship, isn't it? Thanks for sharing.

Now I'd like to talk about your experience with some unhealthy habits you formed during a period of your life, which you go into greater detail in this post. I think most women, can relate to having body image issues, or wanting to lose weight and going to whatever extreme necessary.

I know, personally, after having four kids, I'm more aware of body's "imperfections" (stretch marks, loose skin on my stomach), than ever before and I teach fitness classes, which puts me front and center to the scrutiny of many, so I can relate to a lot of the feelings you had as well.

Do you mind talking a bit more about your experience with this, and what helped you to make peace with your body?

C: Honestly, a lot of my struggles with weight and body image happened shortly after Jay and I split up.

I was depressed, extremely unhappy, and felt like my life was spiraling out of control. Eventually, I decided that there was one thing that I could control, and that was my eating.

Thank goodness I am surrounded with amazing friends and family, who were able to help me through such a difficult time. Eventually, Jay and I found our way back to each other, and I noticed that I was becoming less and less obsessed with calories and food in general.

I felt like I was living life again, rather than living from meal to meal. Sure, I still have days where I feel unhappy with my looks, and like to point out any imperfections I may have. But in the end, nobody is perfect, and I’m just happy to be fortunate enough to have what I have.

There’s SO much more to live for!

J: Thank you for pointing that out. There is so much to live for, and only living to eat, or living from meal to meal is a depressing way to go about life. It limits our perspective and the joy we can have doing the myriad of other things that life has to offer.

So, I know you are super busy, and again, I'm so glad we could chat and create an opportunity for my blog readers to get to know you a little bit more. Is there anything else you'd like to share or talk about?

C: I’m not sure I really have too much more to share, but I will tell you that I absolutely LOVE interacting with my readers, so I would love for anyone to stop on over to my little corner of blog land and say hello!

You may just find a yummy new cupcake recipe, a healthy new dinner recipe, or a fun new workout routine to try out!

Thanks again for having me, Janae!

J: You're most welcome, thank you for taking the time to share. You're a lovely person Courtney, inside and out.

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