I don’t know about you, but I’m loving these blog interviews lately! Not only does it allow me to share the work of my friends and family, but it also gives me a deeper insight into their genius.
I’m so excited to have Jordan Younger from The Balanced Blonde (TBB) on the blog today to share about her individual health, wellness, and spirituality journey- and how these components have integrated into her expanding (and gorgeous!) family through her latest business venture, The Spiritual Mom’s Club.
Jordan and I connected about two years ago the way that we all do in this modern era we’re living in: Instagram. She reached out to see if I’d be a guest on her podcast. Where we went deep on all things spiritual awakening, sexuality, and psychedelics. You can listen to our episode here. Since then, we’ve kept in touch as friends- cheerleading one another from afar as our families, relationships, and businesses continue to grow and evolve.
I couldn’t think of a better person to bring on the blog to speak on all things wellness, because – as you’ll soon find out- J is a pioneer in this space! For those of you who want to get to know her even better after this interview- feel free to stalk her IG, her blog, or her podcast for all things health, wellness, and spirituality.
Let’s dive into it!
How To Cultivate Health, Wellness and Spirituality into Your Family with The Balanced Blonde
Tell us a little bit about TBB. How did the brand start, evolve, and get to where it is today?
Thank you so much for having me! I am so excited to be here on your amazing blog. Thank god for bloggers who still blog, am I right?! We’ve gotta bring the trend back! I started TBB in 2013, freshly out of college. I actually promised my parents I would stop this “little blog thing” in order to focus on grad school come fall of that year. Because everyone noticed that the blog was taking up so much of my time. None of us would have believed at all that it would become a future career path, or that it could be anything more than a side hobby! Regardless, I LOVED it and poured all of my time into it.
From there, I started to sell vegan recipe programs and eventually created my first merch line in 2014 called TBV Apparel (The Blonde Vegan Apparel!!), with iconic phrases that I am still obsessed with today. Think Is Vodka Vegan?, Oh Kale Yes, Health is the New Black, Yoga Junkie (you need that one), and so on. A few months later my posts about transitioning from veganism broke the internet and I found myself on Good Morning America & CBS News discussing the journey. It was wild. That would never happen today – especially the backlash that I got at the time.
Over the years the brand evolved in so many new directions.
I taught yoga for a long time, started my podcast Soul on Fire in 2016, closed my original merch line, worked with a ton of inspiring brands, hosted retreats, wrote several ebooks, did the whole thing. Now I am a mama and life has settled down a bit. I really rode the entrepreneurial wave for a long time and while I still consider myself a serial entrepreneur, it is nice to create more balance in my day to day now.
I recently launched Spiritual Moms Club, my new line of mama merch! It is something I am so very excited about and has been percolating in my mind ever since my pregnancy days. It’s for all of the spiritual mamas out there who are looking for a like-minded community. It takes a village, and certainly is not meant to be done alone. I can’t wait to gift you and Alix all of it when the time comes. 🙂
What does ‘balanced’ mean to you?
I have experienced many iterations of ‘balanced’ over the years, and I feel like where I’ve landed now is a place that really speaks to me. It is pretty much label-free, when it comes to any sort of dogma, diet, practice, etc. I do what works for me, and I encourage everyone around me to do the same. I strive for balance in my work life and personal life. And as an internet personality this has not always (or ever) been easy! I have had to create some serious boundaries around my work and my home life, because as a blogger it’s easy to just share it all. And I will say, becoming a mom has helped me instill a lot more balance in my life.
I am also very passionate now about mental health awareness and healing anxiety, depression, burnout, etc. I have had a rough go with all of that. And striking more of a balance in my life and instilling purposeful, meaningful DOWNTIME has been a savior for me. I am a Reflector in Human Design, I am not supposed to be “grinding” or “hustling” in any way, shape, or form. Mindful rest is the new hustle culture, let me tell ya. 😉
What does ‘wellness’ mean to you, and how do you practice it overarchingly?
Wellness is my OG passion and I will forever love a good wellness and self-care lifestyle. A kale smoothie, a sweaty yoga class, and a lymphatic facial are things that just speak to me at my core. I will always be a wellness lover. And I am so grateful that I have been able to create a career around this way of life. I now know that wellness goes far beyond diet and exercise. It’s a mind, body, soul, spirit connection. Living a well and happy life for me looks like a lot of meditation, time with friends and family, laughing with my loved ones, resting, nights in watching reality TV, writing my heart out, lots of bubble baths, and taking care of my body and mind. It’s all encompassing. <3
Tell us a little bit about your own mothering journey so far, and why did you start Spiritual Moms Club?
When I first became a mom, I was truly in shock and pure awe at the utter life shift that had just taken place. I was caught somewhere between euphoria and exhaustion, joy and panic, bliss and confusion, love and pain (so much pain, lol), and JUST like they say, it is something that absolutely no one can prepare you for, in the best and craziest way.
When my sweet son Atticus was born he had extremely severe jaundice. Not like the cute/”not a big deal” kind of jaundice that a lot of babies are born with, where a little sunlight and a few good poops will do the trick to get it out of their system. Like the “these bilirubin levels are so alarmingly high we don’t actually know what to tell you and we don’t know what’s wrong” kind of jaundice, where we immediately had to become his health advocates and settled right in to the children’s hospital while I was still within hours of recovering from birth. The kind of jaundice that can damage the liver and the brain, and our precious little man whittled down to about 5 lbs during that time. It was gnarly and terrifying.
This is when I learned that Atticus was born with an outrageous strength that could shatter the whole damn earth, I swear to you.
He did not stop smiling even once. He is certainly a spiritual being from realms beyond. But that is a story for another day. He pulled through. And he has been the healthiest little bean ever since. He is strong, vigorous, joyful and a ball of glee. He is perfect. On that note, I always say that the best thing about entering into motherhood was joining the CLUB of mothers that immediately had my back. When we were in the hospital with Atticus during those terrifying, bleary-eyed, sleepless days + nights that all blended into one insane existence… it was my mom friends who checked in on us 10x a day.
Their unwavering support is something I will never forget. And like I said, these were not all my bff’s to begin with. These were all fellow MOMS who just got it. From there, I made it my mission to pay it forward to every new & longtime mama in my life. Being a mother has given me a new appreciation for ALL of the mothers that I know. And not just a mother, but a spiritual mother. Someone who lives in this world and feels tied to all of the spiritual realms at the same time.
We aren’t just a moms club, we are a spiritual moms club. AND I know a lot of our community hasn’t stepped into motherhood yet, may not want to have kids, or may be in the process of trying — and I want you to know, I see you. This club is for everyone. Even if you simply love a mama friend, sister, a mom of your own, this is for you! No one is left out. <3
What does a ‘spiritual mom’ mean to you personally, and how is this connected to wellness?
Being a spiritual mom feels like the pillar of who I am. My spiritual connection has gotten me through so much in my life… truly everything. Battling chronic Lyme disease, recovering from anxiety and mental health challenges, getting over the pain of my first love’s addiction, riding the waves of life as an entrepreneur and now a mama, my spirituality is my foundation. I also believe that a spiritual mom believes in mothering from her intuition first and foremost. Like, I am not big into asking for a million different opinions when it comes to Atticus, because I really feel that I know in my gut what he needs. That’s what I want for all mamas – intuition rings true above all else.
What are your top wellness tips for new mamas?
Ask for help, build your village, know that you’re not alone, anything you are experiencing someone else has felt too and is there to guide and support you through it, and enjoy the ride!!!! Each stage goes so quickly and these little souls are PURE magic.
How do you integrate wellness into your business and your family?
We are a very healthy family – surprise, surprise hehe. My husband went vegan because of me and although I am no longer vegan at the moment, we eat a ton of plants in this house. We meditate together every day, we play mantra music throughout our home, and we try to be intentional as possible with how we live our lives. I try to do the same with my business. It is all about good energy. If someone doesn’t have good energy, I am likely not interested in working together. I keep the aura of our family/home/my work clean and clear, and I believe it ALL stems from there!
There you have it, my friends, bringing health, wellness, and spirituality into your family is possible! It’s all about community and support along the way.
Sending big love to all my spiritual moms out there.
xx,
K