A Side of Syrup Podcast - EP 008: Pursuing Your Dreams, Positively with Arianna Brooks, Children's Book Author
Do you ever finish a book and wonder where the author got their creativity?
That is exactly what will happen when you finish My Mushy Matzah Ball. You’ll put it down and Google the author, wondering what else she’s written and how you can get your hands on it. You’ll even have a “why didn’t I think of this” moment. But then realize her brilliance is her brilliance and you and your kids or your friends kids have got to add her books to the coveted birthday wishlist.
Even more than this author’s talent is her kindness and boundless positivity. Arianna Brooks is the real deal. She’s breaking new ground in incorporating wellness into her life and her family’s day to day. But she stays grounded, real, and wholeheartedly authentic.
The gifted author is a real person and a really good person. She even bestowed us with her energy balls recipe (one that’s been adapted over time to meet her family’s tastebuds). So sit back, listen in, and make some balls!
BONUS: Arianna’s Energy Balls recipe
LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCASTS I SPOTIFY
Resources:
Connect with Shannon:
Website: thisissyrup.com
Instagram: @syrupcoaching
Facebook: www.facebook.com/syrupcoaching
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/syrupcoaching
Syrup free resources: thisissyrup.com/resource-library
Connect with Arianna
Arianna Brooks is a former elementary school teacher, kids yoga instructor and current published author. She loves warm weather, reading to her 2 kids (under 5) at the local library, sweaty workouts and traveling without her kids.
Arianna has written 3 happy children's books; My Mushy Matzah Ball (available in board book and picture book with recipe, ages 0-3), My Happy Hamentashen (available in hardcover and picture book both with recipes, ages 0-3) and Carissa the Crane and the Construction Crew (available in hardcover and picture book, ages 2-6).
Website: Happiness Forward
Instagram: @arianna_brooks_author
Instagram: @mymushymatzahball
Facebook: Arianna Brooks Author Page
Full episode transcript:
Hi! My name is Shannon Pfeffer. I'm obsessed with understanding the how and the why behind feeling good and translating that knowledge into strategies that help you live better.
Each week we'll dive into conversations about food, fitness, stress, career, and family. We'll learn from each other, feel more connected, and we'll explore ways to design a life you love.
So what are you waiting for? Keep listening for tips, tricks, and fun facts about feeling good, looking good, and living better. And don't forget to bring a snack. This is the A Side of Syrup Podcast.
00:00.00
syrupcoaching
Do you ever finish a book and wonder about the author what their story is how they thought of these creative inspirational ideas I do almost every time I find a great book. And finish it I look into that author and see what their story is how do their minds work to come up with these characters to direct the illustrations to bring this wonderful world to life especially as a mom of 3 I read. Not just for myself. But it reads my kids so often and a lot of children's books sort of are the same and it's the same message and there's so many books about goodnight not a lot leave you wanting more but the ones that do those are the special ones. The ones your kids can't put down the images that make you laugh because there's a little nod to an inside joke maybe from your own childhood or your own culture. Um, those are special so I'm really proud to bring today to you guys. My friend. Arianna Brooks she is a former teacher turned children's book author and it's not just any children's books she has a company also called happiness forward and it's all about spreading positivity positivity in children's literature.
01:34.85
syrupcoaching
Positivity in the world and you see it in her books and the characters as they come to life and you know I know about her but all I want to do is share all of her wonderful books with you guys and your kids or your niece and nephews or. You know anyone in your circles because they're not just great reads for the kids. They're also pretty so they look great on a bookshelf for ghettos um, or in a classroom. Um, but. There's so much more we can learn from Ariana and how she lives her life the choices and decisions. She's made to get to this point and how she incorporates wellness in her world. It's really smart and I just felt myself taking notes. From everything she was saying and um in the show notes today are her recipe that she's adapted over the years for energy balls and let me tell you friends. They're quite delicious and they to her warning. They do give you a lot of energy. Um, but she's sort of this. Mastermind Jack of all trades knows it all and she's really dropping some knowledge today for everybody so I'm so excited for you guys to meet Ariana and get to know her and everything she is passionate about and bringing to this world and making it a better happier. More positive place.
00:00.00
syrupcoaching
Okay, all right? So ah Arianna tell everybody who you are where you're from and and what what you're doing and then we'll dive into kind of more specifics about why you're on the podcast.
00:13.57
Arianna
Sure that sounds great. So I was a tenured school teacher in the washington d c area in 2014 and I had very very difficult parents and an administration that was not supportive. And I never smiled I just had this kind of zombie very unhealthy lifestyle and I I gave it all up because I was in this on off relationship. With this guy and then it ended and I ran into at a party that night that our relationship ended this big ex-boyfriend this ex-boyfriend of mine that was um, my longest relationship when I was living in Dc and he. Under the watchful I have his girlfriend who's it now is his wife he goes so what's what's going on what are you doing and I said I'm moving to Chicago I'm gonna live with my sister and he said I can't believe you haven't done that yet and I said I can't believe I haven't done that yet either. And so I just don't even know why I said it and I just kept saying it and I kept telling people and then I sold everything on Craigslist I mean my microwave to some guy in a van my bed my um couch just everything gone.
01:32.76
syrupcoaching
Okay.
01:40.55
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah.
01:47.30
Arianna
But whatever was left in my car that I felt was important and I drove to Chicago and lived on a blowup mattress in the gold coast because my sister always wants me to note that it was not like us not too bad. The gold coast is ah lovely and i.
01:57.40
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah, who's a bad. Ah.
02:05.25
Arianna
Lived on her floor for a couple months and just started over and I didn't know what that meant I tried my hand at working at kind of in an organizational capacity at different startups and the startup life was just not.
02:08.35
syrupcoaching
Ahead.
02:19.24
syrupcoaching
Um, and.
02:24.50
Arianna
Jiving with me at the time I worked at a nonprofit and then I just I couldn't find anything that made me feel as good as I did when I was a teacher and I went back to teaching and was only there for a little while before I became pregnant with my son from.
02:32.10
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
02:41.68
syrupcoaching
Are.
02:42.86
Arianna
My husband who I met about a month into living here and my new journey began and my smile came back and everybody on my social media who I was friends with in school was wow I haven't seen you smile in so long you look so happy.
02:58.80
syrupcoaching
People feel how.
03:02.13
Arianna
And I didn't realize how bad I had felt for how long until other people noticed and until I just felt okay now I'm a world away and now I can start over I was 32 years old and I just had this epiphany that this was not the life I wanted to lead any longer.
03:11.67
syrupcoaching
Um, well yeah.
03:21.72
syrupcoaching
Great.
03:21.78
Arianna
And I needed to start over and it was scary but it was a calculated risk because my sister's here. My mom is not too far away in Indiana and I have a lot of friends from indiana university who are here I knew I'd be okay, so.
03:33.30
syrupcoaching
Yeah, right.
03:37.69
Arianna
Rest of it was just going to fall into place however was going to fall into place.
03:39.28
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah I mean what a difference of like recognizing that you had no smile anymore and taking. Yeah yeah.
03:50.64
Arianna
It's such a big part of your life If. You don't have your Joy. You don't have a reason to keep going I mean my my students were wonderful, but the rest of it just made it so difficult to feel. Ah. Feel that good feeling that reason for being in that profession that reason for being in the Dc area just didn't feel right anymore.
04:14.91
syrupcoaching
No, and sometimes you do you have to make that change whether it's something like you don't expect. You're going to go and do or something unplanned but like your heart sort of tells you where to go.
04:24.48
Arianna
Um.
04:30.38
Arianna
You have to just listen to it and many people don't listen to it I mean I think we all have those friends who tell you the same thing each year and just want to say so do something about it and it's hard and it's scary and.
04:32.70
syrupcoaching
Ahead.
04:39.00
syrupcoaching
Here right.
04:48.60
Arianna
It's scary because what if it's not good on the other side of it. But the only way to find out is to do it and to just jump in.
04:53.27
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly exactly because like you're not going to go and do it if you know 3 years down the line. It didn't work but what you learn from doing something. Maybe not 100% right for 3 years if you learn everything not to do and you learn actually.
05:01.25
Arianna
M.
05:12.88
syrupcoaching
Where you want to go and um, you know I see that too with friends who have been talk for years. You know whether it is. We're going to buy a house this year I mean granted, that's an exception because Los Angeles is a bananas place to buy a house right now.
05:13.16
Arianna
Yeah.
05:29.15
Arianna
Yes, yes.
05:30.70
syrupcoaching
Especially with everything going on. Um, but you know talk about it. Talk about it have the money but can't find the perfect place you know can't find this and it's like do you want that? do you? It's okay, it's totally fine to rent. It's totally fine to you know say I'm not ready for a house right now.
05:49.50
Arianna
Right? there.
05:50.56
syrupcoaching
But just the talk of it and no action. So I think it's amazing that you recognize like there's no smile and I'm sure it was also a time where everyone still posted none of like Facebook photos where you could probably look back at yourself and be like there's no smile on my face. Or there's a smile on my face but it's not in my eyes. It's not like a real smile. You know.
06:12.53
Arianna
Right? I was talking to my husband Jeff and I was saying to him about how I was so miserable I was much trimmer. Um, and my eyes I blue eyes and they were really bright because I was crying all the time. And I thought you know in pictures. It looks so much different because you know I'm I'm trim and I have my eyes are shining but my soul was crushed and the time wasn't necessarily depicted but I look at the pictures and what.
00:00.00
syrupcoaching
Hello welcome welcome hi everybody the guest today is um, we like to call each other our virtual bffs we have met in person 1 time but have been friends for years and years and years and we know if we lived in the same city. We would be.
00:02.38
Arianna
Lower.
00:19.96
syrupcoaching
The best of friends um, introducing everyone to you the most fabulous Ariana Brooks um know and I would love for you and I mean your name is a household name in our house because we read your books to all the kids.
00:27.33
Arianna
Well.
00:37.17
syrupcoaching
Um, but I love for you to tell everybody a little bit um about you where you're at what you do and then I have a None other questions to ask you.
00:45.90
Arianna
Oh sounds great. So um I live in Chicago the suburbs of Chicago and I'm originally from ah South Jersey Cherry Hill New Jersey and I came here because I went to indiana university and. Just all my friends stayed here from Indiana and it was just the right spot to come to after I try some things out on my own and about a month into being here I met my husband and shortly after we have these two amazing kids and i. Um, a children's book author former school teacher and so happy to be on the show. So happy to share my my journey and if they can help anyone or um, that would be wonderful.
01:32.31
syrupcoaching
Awesome! Awesome! fun fact when I None met Ariana I had no idea she was about to go on a trip to get married that was like we we we were sort of ships passing in the night
01:41.26
Arianna
A.
01:50.00
syrupcoaching
And her husband is friends with my husband and they stayed at our house. Well we I don't even know where we were going. We were on some trip. Um, and then you guys came back and I saw on Facebook you guys have gotten married was this like totally planned to do it somewhere else in the world. Or was that just like we're taking this trip and we're going to do it.
02:11.35
Arianna
We had kind of had started having conversations I had approached getting married with Jeff my husband by saying it's Saturday night. We're not even staying up for Saturday night live. We're going to bed at Nine o'clock why don't we just get married.
02:29.30
syrupcoaching
No I have did.
02:30.96
Arianna
What are we doing and then um I had two weeks off of the job that I was working at at the time. Um and I looked up and saw a really great price for a flight to Thailand and I said let's go to Thailand and he said sounds great. Let's do it two weeks in Thailand sounds wonderful. So we were all set to go and about three weeks before the trip I was starting to plan activities. That's my favorite thing to do planning. What are we going to do when we get there. Where are we going to stay and I said do you want to go on an elephant ride and he said yeah that sounds great. And then I said do you want to get married there and he said okay, yeah, that also sounds great and so we contacted this company called Thailand Wedding Thailand Weddings Dot Com and it was in Chang Mai and it was.
03:12.36
syrupcoaching
Thank I.
03:18.89
syrupcoaching
Um.
03:26.18
Arianna
We weren't sure if it was real or not because it sounded so fantastic and fairly inexpensive for all the offering and I said all right here goes we put it down deposit in and it turns out it was legit and it was beautiful and we had this buddhist ceremony just the 2 of us and it was fantastic and romantic.
03:30.82
syrupcoaching
Everything.
03:45.87
Arianna
And it started at 5 am in the morning where we fed monks and ah it continued on throughout the day where we released fish into the water and we released birds into the sky and we were greeted by 9 elders who shared their experiences ah in marriage and in life.
03:54.19
syrupcoaching
There.
04:01.30
syrupcoaching
I am.
04:05.48
Arianna
And everything was done in nines. It was really a super special trip but it wasn't legal. So when we got home we got married at this place in Chicago called Antique Taco and it was just 25 people really small and ah it was legal. So it was nice.
04:07.48
syrupcoaching
Her.
04:17.18
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah.
04:23.45
Arianna
But um, our wedding date and our wedding experience will always be in Thailand.
04:26.91
syrupcoaching
Yeah, that's super cool I mean it's just there's got to be you know the connection between you guys, but like the deeper connection to the the the planet and I sort of like all the the vibes and the fuels that are out there.
04:40.63
Arianna
It was so it was so beautiful and it was so spiritual and just a really great way to get started on this journey as husband and wife.
04:48.88
syrupcoaching
Did you guys do anything else more like wellness related when you were there and did you I mean we've been to Thailand before and had some insanely amazing massages. Um, but yoga classes or meditation or anything like that.
05:05.14
Arianna
So when we were there. We basically focused on cooking classes and fueling ourselves in that way. We got a massage every single day because it was about $8 american dollars it was amazing and.
05:14.20
syrupcoaching
1 yeah.
05:21.22
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
05:24.58
Arianna
Some days we did get 2 hour massages I mean it was just wild that there was nothing left to massage by the end of the trip I mean wait like this is so relaxed. It's great I um and we didn't do any yoga classes. We did go to the full moon party which was wild and fun and we did um.
05:26.18
syrupcoaching
Ah, yeah, right, right? study. Ah.
05:38.57
syrupcoaching
The name.
05:44.15
Arianna
Bike tour that was ah very scary. You were kind of biking through people's villages and through their houses and um, but I I highly recommend it because it was a great way to really get on the ground floor of the Thailand experience we traveled around we went to.
05:49.66
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
05:57.59
syrupcoaching
Yes.
06:03.60
Arianna
Kosa Movie Cheng Mai and of course Bangkok because that's where we flew in and out of and each place offered a really different experience which was wonderful.
06:03.91
syrupcoaching
Okay, yeah.
06:11.73
syrupcoaching
That's amazing. Amazing. It's like you take those travel experiences with you forever Whether it's yeah oh my gosh they know. Ah so during that time like were you were you still teaching.
06:15.10
Arianna
That forever I can't wait to be back.
06:28.32
syrupcoaching
And then you had that break and like yeah okay.
06:28.40
Arianna
So I was working for a nonprofit and um I worked there for a little longer and then I was a former I was a school teacher and I just didn't know what to do if I wasn't teaching so I went back to teaching and about.
06:42.21
syrupcoaching
Okay.
06:48.70
Arianna
Three weeks after we got back from Thailand I was pregnant with our son our None born and it was very cool because the whole Thailand experience was done in nine s so there were 9 elders. There were 9 fish that we put in the water 9 birds that we.
06:59.16
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
07:07.14
syrupcoaching
Nurse.
07:07.96
Arianna
Released into the sky. Everything was done in nines and then his birth date was his due date was September which is the ninth month Twenty seventh which 2 and 7 is nine 2016 which 2 plus one plus 6 is nine. We were like golden baby this is happening.
07:16.34
syrupcoaching
Um, and yeah.
07:24.33
syrupcoaching
But yes, yeah, 6 yeah love.
07:27.50
Arianna
He came the day after came on this 28 but it's still a 9 sandwich. You know counts and ah then I stayed home with him for that whole the whole first year that was teaching didn't have maternity to leave coverage and so.
07:37.74
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, yeah.
07:45.15
Arianna
He also was a very colicky baby and just cried all the time and my hands were tied I had to be with him nonstop. So it's a very challenging year to find wellness for sure. Yeah, you know it know this.
07:51.57
syrupcoaching
Yeah, of course we have that first year yeah totally no time for yourself. No time for anyone else, but that baby you're at yours world. Um, but I guess then.
08:04.00
Arianna
Yeah, yeah.
08:10.78
syrupcoaching
How did you have this epiphany of like I I'm not going to go back and I'm going to start writing like have you always been a writer.
08:20.32
Arianna
I've always been really interested in inventions and coming up with different ideas and I always like to play commercial where I would create commercials for things that didn't exist and I've always liked that when I was.
08:30.41
syrupcoaching
Hang up.
08:36.58
Arianna
Ah, school teacher. My favorite thing to do was to read books aloud to the students and I would do it during snack time so they were their mouths were full and they could just listen and enjoy it was my favorite time I didn't see it as a path. It was more out of necessity. It came.
08:38.96
syrupcoaching
Next.
08:48.60
syrupcoaching
Here.
08:55.39
Arianna
Ah thing I needed to do during the pandemic when the pandemic happened I went from living in this None floor walk up in Chicago with a lot of neighbors to going to my mom's place in Indiana and i.
08:56.30
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
09:09.88
syrupcoaching
Will.
09:14.30
Arianna
Stayed there for None I thought it was gonna be two weeks three weeks I took the kids and I said I'll see you in two weeks to my husband. He stayed to work and um, we were getting books every day from Amazon because Amazon was the only thing that.
09:17.16
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah, you yeah.
09:29.11
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah, and.
09:31.45
Arianna
We we could get that we wouldn't get sick from at the time they said Amazon packages are fine. Take out food is fine. You can eat it. You can read it. Let's do it so I was getting all of those books that I grew up with and seeing some new books on Amazon and I was really disheartened by them because they were.
09:37.21
syrupcoaching
In her. Yeah.
09:51.70
syrupcoaching
And it.
09:51.20
Arianna
So heavy and the topics were just so difficult for me to explain and there were so many difficult things happening in the world that I didn't know where to go to for just calm and relaxation so I started to just edit the books with my kids.
10:07.82
syrupcoaching
A.
10:10.38
Arianna
If they'd said something just awful in it I would just for example, um, there's a great childhood book called straganonna. Do you know it straganonna it's a book. Ah um, by Tommy Apollo and it has straggernona means.
10:13.31
syrupcoaching
Yeah, ah. For her I don't know that Mel.
10:29.65
Arianna
Grandma Witch so already we're on the wrong track right? That's what it means in italian and so they ah they talk in the book about one of the characters they call big Anthony and they're going to lynch him so I was like wait. Well we're not going to talk about lynching and we're not going to talk about all these other things.
10:32.90
syrupcoaching
Whoa! yeah.
10:42.46
syrupcoaching
Woman I.
10:48.99
Arianna
That we're just attacking this character and ah for doing the wrong thing and if you read some of the books and you grew up with. They have a lot of difficult Storylines and I just couldn't handle it So I just started writing down happy Plot-free books.
10:49.85
syrupcoaching
1 Ah.
10:58.67
syrupcoaching
A hair.
11:05.53
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
11:07.90
Arianna
That just made me feel good and then I kept going and then I would try them out on the kids when we would be driving around because I made the drive as part of our routine every day. Okay, we're going to drive with no destination just have something that we do every day and we're going to leave every day.
11:17.60
syrupcoaching
Um, right? Yeah yeah, yeah.
11:26.74
Arianna
And then on Fridays we're going to have matzal soup so we have a shabbat dinner at my mom's and my mom's vegan but she made chicken and rice and maswell soup with chicken broth and all this stuff so that we could have some sort of normalcy some sort of predictability in the schedule in a routine.
11:27.72
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
11:41.89
syrupcoaching
Okay.
11:45.71
Arianna
And so I thought oh that soup is such a comfort such a comfort to have that at the end of the week and I just started thinking. Okay well matza ball soup. It's parents are with their kids None now and they see that it's hard to come up with endearing terms.
11:58.60
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
12:04.62
Arianna
Because you are just ready to pull your hair out because you can't get anything done and you can't spend quality time and everything feels like it's not coming out right? So I thought okay well what if I did comfort foods with endearing terms and started writing it down and my kids liked it and I.
12:09.20
syrupcoaching
Yeah, right, right? right. Ah, yes, okay.
12:23.93
Arianna
And it to other people to see what do you think and they were okay. This has legs This could go somewhere and then there's a pretty quick turnaround I self-p publishlished it and created a board book from ah and then that's how the Mushi Mats ball came to be.
12:26.70
syrupcoaching
Right.
12:34.94
syrupcoaching
It's a little thing. Yeah. How did you figure out like if you were gonna do the Self-ppublishlishing path or um or try to pitch it out I know like there's a huge time difference with with both. Um but like what was your your reasoning of like.
12:51.16
Arianna
Yeah.
12:58.24
syrupcoaching
This is a story that people need to hear right now. Yeah.
12:59.80
Arianna
Yeah I just felt that people needed to feel like they were part of a community people needed to feel joy again and they needed to just have that comfort. Um.
13:08.25
syrupcoaching
We hear.
13:14.60
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
13:17.57
Arianna
And I don't know anything more comforting than food food is such a great comfort and it's such a great connector for people and it's a long game to be a writer you put a book out there. You send it to an agent the agent then takes it to a publishing house.
13:19.70
syrupcoaching
Totally. Um, yes aha.
13:36.48
Arianna
And then they could take a year or 2 to make it and then they had asked to come out a certain times and it's's a real arduous process and I didn't want to wait on it I wanted it to come out there and I knew that I could do it because I had no nothing telling me I quit no.
13:38.69
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
13:45.75
syrupcoaching
Let me.
13:52.87
syrupcoaching
No no right? Yeah, anything's possible. Yeah I want. Yeah yeah.
13:55.72
Arianna
This pandemic so nobody was communicating So why not anything is possible. People were starting over with so many different projects and different things and this is something I was so excited to throw myself into and and that's how it came to be.
14:11.21
syrupcoaching
How did you find or illustrator I mean I have um I have a book right here. My my older son who has the other one he he likes to take it with him places but um, but I'm just showing here because it's It's a really cool style that I don't think you see it's a little.
14:16.16
Arianna
Ole. Um, taking.
14:29.33
syrupcoaching
You know, true to life. It's a little bit. It kind of like jumping off the page. It doesn't you know, although it's ah a younger kid's book. It doesn't feel like too Kitty you know like it's joyable for an adult to look at and and a child. So um, it just you know like you wrote you wrote the Book. At home in a world where we weren't out with people. How'd you find this this amazing illustrator. Yeah yeah.
14:55.34
Arianna
She's amazing. So her name is Tory Butner she is hastic. She lives in California we've only actually similar to you. We've only met 1 time in person she went to school actually around here. But.
15:01.95
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
15:10.60
Arianna
It was only coincidental she was visiting friends and she came here and we met up and that's the only time I've met her but that was after we'd already completed 3 books together so she is super organized and we had a great rapport from the very beginning. Um.
15:12.80
syrupcoaching
Okay, yeah.
15:26.34
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
15:29.32
Arianna
She's part of an animator's group out of Los Angeles and I contacted a friend's sister who was a mentor to me. Um, and she's also a writer and a phenomenal person and she said I'll put out an ask in this animators group.
15:34.67
syrupcoaching
Okay.
15:45.98
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah.
15:47.87
Arianna
And see if anyone's interested and tori wrote I'm interested and we connected and it was just love at None email and we zoomed but we also just like I said she's organized so she would send something out and we would write about. We would go back and forth and.
15:52.42
syrupcoaching
Oh yeah.
16:00.40
syrupcoaching
None.
16:06.56
Arianna
She did all the illustrations for my muhi masba in a month and a half it's unheard of it's unheard of and it's not. It's not the norm nobody does it in such a short amount of time and I would say well what if the baby looked like this or what if the baby was doing this and she would just.
16:06.87
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah.
16:14.54
syrupcoaching
Now.
16:23.76
Arianna
Bring it to life and having that kind of back and forth collaboration was awesome I had this dream about dancing with the stars and I thought wouldn't it be funny if the lively lacka baby was holding it up like they were dancing you ah and so she said oh yeah and then she incorporated that into it.
16:23.84
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
16:33.45
syrupcoaching
Good. Yeah.
16:42.60
Arianna
I wanted the book to feel diverse that the babies were in all the same baby that everyone could kind of see themselves in it just like you said my daughter is um, got dark eyes dark hair. Her skin is a lot darker than mine as well.
16:43.16
syrupcoaching
Ah, and.
16:49.60
syrupcoaching
Okay.
16:57.83
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah, yeah.
17:00.11
Arianna
And she always sees herself in the blonde baby in the picture who is a bu believe Lynn's baby and it's just it's funny. You can see yourself in different babies. You can see the joy that baby is really happy that reminds me of me. Um my son always thinks he's the lively lack of baby dancing and so it's nice to see.
17:17.54
syrupcoaching
I Yeah yeah yeah.
17:19.72
Arianna
Where you relate in the story and they know at heart and they can read the book. My kids can just they can share it easily.
17:29.43
syrupcoaching
It's so cool. So cool. So this is book number one. We also have Carissa the crane. You mentioned a third book is there another book coming out or.
17:34.78
Arianna
Yes, um I did a sequel to my wish Maswell film my happy home in fashion and it has all the foods that I left out from the first one still it has um.
17:42.43
syrupcoaching
Ah, okay, we need to get this? yeah.
17:53.17
Arianna
Everyone's asking me. Why is there? no cogul and why is there? No holla in the first book and I said well Chala is so hard to do as alliteration because the sound is a hebrew sound. It's not an English sound so I kind of went.
17:54.74
syrupcoaching
Cook with my favorite. A. Right.
18:10.77
Arianna
And called it Harmonious Colla and made it more of a ha sound than a so I have these babies here singing into it like a microphone and that was my work around with that and then the cuggle I have the baby sleeping on it like a pillow. So.
18:13.47
syrupcoaching
Um, works. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah.
18:30.27
Arianna
I I didn't want to leave any food out on the table. It is a little bit more of a difficult book to pronounce so I have in on the first book bagel I felt a lot of people knew how to say bagel. So I didn't have any way of how to say it. But in this book. For example, the cover.
18:35.77
syrupcoaching
Yeah, but.
18:48.73
syrupcoaching
Okay.
18:48.93
Arianna
Called my happy home in passion and home. It's a difficult word to say so I have all of the pronunciation and then I have it within the book too. So you can see it How to say it. So it's underneath every single page you have how to say it and then these are the.
18:54.49
syrupcoaching
Yeah, what.
19:02.66
syrupcoaching
Oh great. Ah.
19:08.30
Arianna
Just being cute as you know twins are the cutest and home in attach is a plural so I had to have too equal and so that's how that came to be but um, home attach is difficult Gaphta fish is in it. Ailta fish is typical word to and suf gun yo.
19:12.63
syrupcoaching
Um, me but um, yep.
19:27.62
Arianna
Is difficult too So gun you is jelly donuts and so if you donuts figure it out you say Superano Oh yeah, I would definitely love suup gunnyo if that means donuts. Um, but it had a little but trickier words So I I used my.
19:28.83
syrupcoaching
Yeah I was going to say Jelly Dominant's easier. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yep.
19:45.18
Arianna
Instagram to explain each one and I did a what you say Wednesday kind of derulo where I explained how do you say this? and what is a significance so where did this come to be in the origin of it. Um rogoilla can be kind of difficult to say to so really.
19:47.83
syrupcoaching
You? Ah yeah.
20:05.18
Arianna
Sala was the least in my worries book. But the words were a lot trickier but I just didn't want to leave anything delicious out like gift filter fish I don't know how delicious that is but I didn't want to leave it up. The baby is swimming because it's good filter fish.
20:10.20
syrupcoaching
And then yeah I Oh no.
20:24.37
syrupcoaching
Shnihi. Oh.
20:24.94
Arianna
And swimming with the the good but fish and wearing a little snorkel which is cute again. These illustrations were all done by touring and she just has a sweet way of making babies just feel real and happy and.
20:37.97
syrupcoaching
Um, that's awesome. Yeah I mean I am a pro at reading children's books now. And yeah I mean like you're saying and like I mean I'm I'm sure there's a whole new wave of books coming, but you know it's the.
20:41.11
Arianna
It was. It was really fun working with her again.
20:56.99
Arianna
Um.
20:57.50
syrupcoaching
White Blonde baby and and everything and you know not every kid is is represented so it's just so wonderful to see books coming out that you know. Kids can say that looks like me or even like your daughter of like not not relating to a character who looks like her but someone else, but you know they're young. Yeah yeah, taking on what feels special to them and it's it is all different. Um, so that's really great. Um, and then ah.
21:16.76
Arianna
Related to the joy. Yeah, yeah.
21:29.36
syrupcoaching
Where can your books be found right now. Yeah yeah, awesome. Okay, fantastic. I'm going to have all of this in the show notes. So that people can link like directly to them. Tim.
21:30.18
Arianna
So I have my books on my website which is happinessfor.com I also have them on um Amazon and they're also on http://barnesnoble.com
21:48.78
syrupcoaching
Um, you know make purchases. But um, you know there are something I like wrote in my news here as you were talking about like the kids side of things of like this need that we've all had for predictability. You know, like setting a routine and like it's so important for children. But it's so important for adults too.
21:49.16
Arianna
Green.
21:59.74
Arianna
Yeah.
22:06.87
Arianna
Routine and wellness go hand in hand I think that if you don't have something to look forward to some sort of schedule. It's hard to get that motivation. It's hard to at least for me I need to know how my day is going I used to when I was single have a.
22:08.60
syrupcoaching
You know it makes us feel comfortable.
22:14.88
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
22:25.95
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
22:26.77
Arianna
Schedule for my weekends and it was not much of a schedule. It was just do your class meet up with some friends for brunch you help him my nails done or hang out or something Um, but it was something I look forward to because I knew I was going to do this and this than this.
22:30.40
syrupcoaching
Or has.
22:40.94
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah, I like that because I think you know the sort of the crux of you know what? I do um.
00:00.00
syrupcoaching
Okay I know in the the beginning of our conversation and we talked about sort of like taking action and how you had to take action to to make change in your life like you've had a ah lot of Change. You've changed Careers. You've changed Cities. You've gotten married. You have two kids. Um you know like. So much has gone on but how how do you sort of like take action to take care of yourself because I see your smile and it's there and I see your happiness you know coming through like it's obvious you're doing the right thing for yourself.
00:35.19
Arianna
Thanks I I think that the biggest part for me is to feel grounded with my family and to spend time with people who matter I think I just turned 40 So for me, it's different. It's not.
00:42.89
syrupcoaching
Um, last.
00:53.73
Arianna
About the quantity of people I'm with but more like the quality of people I'm with and having those really good heart-to-hearts and having those really good belly Las I think spending time with my kids in my family and walking around the neighborhood holding hands with my husband feels really nice, but the time that I take a break and just. Spend time with myself either reading something on Tv by myself or um, going to get a foot massage I love these massages or working on doing a class that takes my great t-shirt to like dark gray because I but so much is my favorite feeling.
01:13.85
syrupcoaching
You know.
01:19.86
syrupcoaching
My hand. Yeah.
01:27.76
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah.
01:32.81
Arianna
And having that time to myself where my phone is put away and I can just be in that workout class feels really good. But yeah I definitely feel the full massage is help.
01:38.96
syrupcoaching
Yeah, totally I feel like again if we were in the same city and we could be City Besties I I I subscribe to this idea of dmcs.
01:49.32
Arianna
As we do this.
01:56.61
syrupcoaching
Like deep meaningful conversations like I don't have time to talk about the weather or you know say a lot of pleasantries I'm like let's just get into it. Yeah, yeah, yeah I feel we could just you know, go on a walk forever and and just.
02:00.12
Arianna
Yeah. Get into it. What's happening what's going on. Yeah.
02:14.91
syrupcoaching
Chat about a None things. Um, but I yeah.
02:16.20
Arianna
Absolutely I also feel like walks help you get through all that stuff because you have that great endorphin feeling. But also you can process with your friend and get into it is really nice. Yeah.
02:21.74
syrupcoaching
Um, probably and like the outside sort of like muffles other like sort of chaos and other thoughts going on and you just kind of are like okay, let's chat about this or even like a walk by yourself just like you can do a walking meditation.
02:39.69
Arianna
Yeah, yeah.
02:41.14
syrupcoaching
Um, just be kind of quiet. Ah well you have done a you've worked at a wellness retreat right.
02:48.45
Arianna
Yeah I um I presented on wellness at a virtual conference and it was wonderful I did ah yoga Nidra which is kind of a guided sleep meditation that was about 45 minutes and I did. Ah.
02:54.70
syrupcoaching
Is it.
03:01.86
syrupcoaching
Hey.
03:08.12
Arianna
5 the the 5 senses but the covid style like how you can do covid style wellness and we made this really cool eye mask. So you just you can make this yourself at home. You just take an old sock. Not a dirty sock an old sock.
03:23.98
syrupcoaching
You can.
03:27.29
Arianna
But is cleaned and you put in it rice and some oil I like lavender but you can use eucalyptus obviously whatever oil doesn't make you break out or makes you feel comfortable and what sent sent drives you and makes you feel good. So I put that in the rice and then you just not it and you put that sock on your head and you just can feel a million miles away and it just feels so good on your eyes and lets you rest I've done energy balls which is part of the taste part of the wellness.
03:49.30
syrupcoaching
The.
04:00.62
syrupcoaching
Who.
04:03.16
Arianna
And we made it with granola and Chopa chips and honey and it after the wellness conference I was making them every other day and was just so ah hyped from it. The energy was palable. So I loved it. But I I had to take a break because it was.
04:12.90
syrupcoaching
Yeah.
04:22.85
Arianna
Too much energy I couldn't relax from the energy balls. But they're really fun to make and they're really sticky So you really have to be okay with just getting whether you're using Almond butter or a plant based butter or peanut butter just getting getting in there and making those and they don't take that long either.
04:24.63
syrupcoaching
Sharp will begin.
04:32.78
syrupcoaching
You.
04:42.72
Arianna
Just to throw them in the fridge takes about 30 minutes and then you voila you have this energy ball that is amazing I will I'll text you the recipe? Yes, yeah.
04:46.45
syrupcoaching
Yeah, my gosh I think I mean like please text me all the details like yeah, this yes, that's sounds way better than another cup of coffee. So okay, awesome, awesome. And then I mean you. You are a writer yourself. But do you do you take the time to like sit and and read or like what's on your bedside table at night is it that the sock lavender right? rice off because that also is an amazing idea or are you reading books at night.
05:16.17
Arianna
Yes, so the lavender sock actually got appropriated I said the word I would use. Um it got taken by my son and he wears it to when he was sleeping like to bed and then the rice went everywhere and then there was ants.
05:25.52
syrupcoaching
Um, it all. Um, Ah yes, yeah, yeah.
05:35.49
Arianna
So we've taken a little break from it I think it's only for adults I would recommend it. But um I do have a sleep mass because I'm sensitive to light I like to have it dark when I'm asleep and of course blackout curtains. But I am reading right now I actually brought it with me a book called joyful it's by Ingrid up.
05:49.52
syrupcoaching
Um, what. Yeah, yeah.
05:55.12
Arianna
Federal Lee and each pastor is just about different ways to surround yourself with positivity and joy like bold colors and an abundance of nature and just believing in magic believing in that silver lining I was.
06:01.50
syrupcoaching
The.
06:11.43
syrupcoaching
The.
06:14.24
Arianna
Having a low moment and I read the chapter on magic about finding that silver lining. So if something isn't working out as you had expected to work out and you're upset. Well maybe there's a silver lining here or maybe there's a window that's going to open for you or None a window or a shutter.
06:17.90
syrupcoaching
Then.
06:28.37
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah, yeah.
06:32.47
Arianna
Something is gonna come your way and then or the silver lining something is going to come around because you have to believe in it and then if you believe in it it will happen so that kind of talking things into being and believing in in joy propels you with more joy.
06:37.44
syrupcoaching
Um, totally.
06:48.90
syrupcoaching
Right? right? I I really am interested in the chapter on magic years ago. At this point I worked on a wine client and I was redoing the overall strategy of like how do you take this wine and.
06:58.57
Arianna
Me.
07:06.27
syrupcoaching
It was known as like a cheaper wine but they had a whole library of like most of the library bottles were $120 and up and they were insane like the the wine was like all of us like there was a group of us working on it and I was probably the youngest and then.
07:15.87
Arianna
If.
07:23.40
Arianna
Graph.
07:25.75
syrupcoaching
Our team spanned to someone who was in their sixty s and I remember her tasting the wine and so like just a bold New Yorker being like oh my gosh It was just Amazing. So when there was whole process with that brand and we're trying to say like what area can you can you play in what area does wine. Playing and a lot of people think it's like heritage. Maybe it's an old brand or you know a lot of like wine or juice or whatever on the shelves we pick because of the label like here's the pretty packy thing. So or here's this crazy name. Um, where this right.
07:54.33
Arianna
Yes. Yes, I'm a sucker for the crazy names. Yeah yeah.
08:04.20
syrupcoaching
Right? And it's like this sounds interesting but in these particular brand We toy this idea of magic and the whole process of like actually making the wine who knows if it will turn out. You know it's a little bit of the silver lining chapter too because you're.
08:16.35
Arianna
Right now.
08:24.18
syrupcoaching
You are putting and and this whole team behind this wine brand like put their heart and soul and all of their time into each bottle and turning it and making sure the temperature's right and tasting and and you know adding things in if needed and. And the middle of None of our presentations. The head winemakers stood up and she started like like tearing up crying and she was like it is magic. This business is magic because everyone is so hopeful and optimistic and you. Put this concoction together. You have no idea if it's going to work but you just hope and hope and hope and then when it does it does? Yeah and yeah, ah yeah.
09:05.99
Arianna
It's it. It's I hear it in your voice I feel like I've tasted this wine before even though I have not I feel it it. There's a thing where you when you get it right? It's that it's easy. It makes sense. It's.
09:21.41
syrupcoaching
Totally and I feel like a lot of that is you know what we do for ourselves and and to ourselves of you know if we're we're putting. We're making these decisions and we're doing these things that we hope work and then you know ultimately.
09:21.89
Arianna
Like it was always part of it.
09:29.62
Arianna
Um, you can.
09:41.14
syrupcoaching
You get that to that one point where it does and you feel that that moment that moment of joy and that moment of like this is it. This is it like the smile is back I'm happy like hey, um and it takes I think in my business I've realized like it takes a long time to get there like.
09:46.19
Arianna
Um, really are yes.
10:00.94
syrupcoaching
I Don't want to coach people forever. But um, you know, being able to actually take the steps to you know if you let's say you have bad sugar cravings more working together on on that and trying to to.
10:12.93
Arianna
A.
10:17.12
syrupcoaching
You know lessen and managed I mean not completely eliminate but you know change that behavior. Um, you know it's It's never going to work a if you can't say this is what I want to change or this is not making me happy. Um, or this is actually making me not healthy, but when you can do that and then you can.
10:32.48
Arianna
Oh yeah.
10:36.83
syrupcoaching
Sort of build from there and you know sort of um, scaffold almost if like I'm making this habit change and I'll make this habit change and make this habit change. You know? Yeah yeah.
10:45.24
Arianna
Well ownership and follow through or everything That's the only way change happens and I feel if you have indifference, you're not going to have that follow through because if you don't care. Why am I caring I think that that's a really.
10:57.94
syrupcoaching
Um, right.
11:04.00
Arianna
Difficult part is if someone is coming to you for help. They need to take that next step and actually do something for them and they've already done it. But it's not enough contacting. You is the greatest None step. But now I now do the work. You know.
11:05.89
syrupcoaching
Yeah, right. Um, right? Yeah, totally totally totally. Yeah and I think it's it's hard for a lot of people to kind of like want to swallow that pill and be like okay like this is what needs to change but like. You know from a more macro perspective like you changed your world because you knew you needed to and look how it all panned out like you. You are so happy and you're doing what you love and you're doing something you're passionate about and that is a gift.
11:39.70
Arianna
Yes.
11:50.16
syrupcoaching
But a lot of people don't give themselves.
11:51.18
Arianna
Yeah I think that everyone has the ability to do that. It's just like I said the indifference or being open to being in that uncomfortable space I think a lot of people shy away for things that are uncomfortable.
11:55.67
syrupcoaching
Okay.
12:10.17
Arianna
Even if they have a little bit of joy in them because they just don't want it to look bad or be not who you know something that that feels right to them and if they just took that step I think that they could really enjoy for example, like taking a dance class I am not a great to answer.
12:10.60
syrupcoaching
It hit.
12:16.11
syrupcoaching
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:24.48
syrupcoaching
Okay.
12:28.67
Arianna
But there was a dance class when I lived in Dc that was so much fun and I would just laugh the whole time and there are mirrors I knew what it looked like but just taking myself complete out of the comfort zone with my roommate at the time we just had such a blast and it it was such a game changer because she actually.
12:31.58
syrupcoaching
Um, the.
12:42.40
syrupcoaching
Um, and.
12:47.88
Arianna
Can dance. She's a great dancer and she was into it but it was just fun for me to do something that was so out of character for me and have that kind of fun that I didn't expect. Yeah.
12:47.93
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah.
12:54.22
syrupcoaching
Um, and. Yeah, totally totally totally. Ah I None last question for you and speaking of fun. It's a fun one and if you I asked everybody this if you had a button you just press that button and x would happen.
13:06.22
Arianna
Um, yes, if.
13:18.90
syrupcoaching
What would that button be in your life me. Ah yep.
13:20.23
Arianna
Like so I would cologne myself with this button I would have like a better version of myself. Someone who can really cook cook all the food because my version is Trader Joe's cooking which is.
13:31.50
syrupcoaching
Um, ah.
13:38.56
syrupcoaching
Yep.
13:39.86
Arianna
Let's be real I turn on the oven and then that food comes out that was kind of it with trader Joes um, but I'd have a person who cooks a person who does all the laundry takes out the garbage basically my own personal housekeeper who would do all this stuff so I could just lay on the couch.
13:48.53
syrupcoaching
Um, and then. Okay. Yeah, ah.
13:58.26
Arianna
And read to my kids all afternoon and not have to think oh I I need to go away for this or go away for that and then that would just be bliss Sorry my cat just jumped up on the window and scared me why bought all these.
14:06.79
syrupcoaching
Yeah, no, no oh I've got one around here too and I'm not quite sure what she's doing. Ah yeah, oh no.
14:17.65
Arianna
Because of the book I bought all these fake plants and she's trying to eat them because the book was like abundance plants and I said well I don't want to take care of them. So I bought a bunch of fake plants and she keeps trying to bite it. So anyway.
14:24.30
syrupcoaching
Yes.
14:30.15
syrupcoaching
Yeah, um, and then where can everybody find you um on social media your website. Let everybody know here and I'll also post it in the show notes.
14:40.40
Arianna
Sounds great so you can find me on my website http://wwwwww.happinessforward.com and you can find my books on Amazon and Barnes and http://noble.com you can also ah actually sorry.
14:56.54
syrupcoaching
Yeah, in social media? yeah.
14:59.60
Arianna
I just guess that for um, can also find me on Facebook under Arianna Brooks author thanks
15:05.67
syrupcoaching
Awesome! Awesome! Okay been fantastics. Well thank you so much for your time today. It was great I feel like we talked about so much we could keep going here like let's just let's pretend we're on a walk and call each other like next week it can.
15:11.95
Arianna
You so much I know I will I'm such a fan of yours and I thought that this went so well and I really appreciate it so much. Um, it's just it's just like hanging out with a friend.
15:29.94
syrupcoaching
Um, yeah.
15:31.92
Arianna
And just was such a happy day for me. This was really wonderful. So thank you so much.
15:34.93
syrupcoaching
Awesome! Ah, awesome. Amazing big hugs to you and um, give everyone and your family my love and um I'm gonna find my cat you but your cat and we'll get them both out of trouble. Okay day bye.
15:43.28
Arianna
Same yeah, sounds great. All right I'll talk to you soon? bye.
00:00.00
syrupcoaching
Okay, Arianna let us know where we can find you online and on social media. Yeah.
00:05.27
Arianna
Okay, great. So you can find me on Instagram I have at Mushimats ball as my handle and at Ariana Brooks author you can also find me on Facebook which is at Ariana Brooks author I am also free on w you can also find my books on my website http://happinessforward.com or on http://barnesnoble.com or on Amazon.
00:23.60
syrupcoaching
Okay.