A one-to-one session over the ladder barrel

July 14, 2026 / 7 min readThe Balance Room

The Balance Room July Newsletter

Hi friends, July July, the month that flies by. I can’t believe we’re halfway through. This past weekend, we spent time with friends of ours that have one of their two sons at overnight camp for 7 weeks. They told us that with only one son at home, time has really seemed to slow down. Fascinating!!

Hi friends,

July July, the month that flies by. I can’t believe we’re halfway through. This past weekend, we spent time with friends of ours that have one of their two sons at overnight camp for 7 weeks. They told us that with only one son at home, time has really seemed to slow down. Fascinating!!

What is it about kids that makes time seemingly slip through our fingers? Is it because they keep us so busy? Because they are an actual, physical representation of time passing? My sons — I swear — change in some tangible way every single day. One always has a new word in his back pocket, and the other is looking more and more like a big boy (& much less like my little baby!). Of course, time tends to fly whether or not you have children and we can’t do anything about it! I’m really trying to strike a balance between being present enough that I look back in 15 years very satisfied with how I showed up, but also accepting that perfecting this is nearly impossible.

A mourning dove on a window ledge beside its nest, a crosswalk on the street below

Oh also, if you read my June Newsletter (synopsis — I’m VERY into other-worldly signs) you’ll enjoy this — a Mourning Dove has decided to nest in my son’s window! Because I’m a crazy person, I’m wracking my brain to figure out who could be visiting us from another life. Regardless, she’s beautiful and we’ve been loving our daily & nightly visits with her. We also had a fledgling robin learn how to fly in our backyard over a 5 -day period with the help of his mama, which was so cool. There’s always ways to connect with nature, even in the middle of our concrete jungle.

Studio Updates: What’s Happening This Month

TBR is going OTR!

The Balance Room On The Road

You’re traveling this summer. I know you are. Take me with you! Seriously. You can open up your computer/phone/tablet and do a short flow with me on YouTube for free, or a longer class with me via our virtual studio on UScreen for a small fee. We are slowly building our library, and for now it’s just me teaching, but if we find success with this then I’ll bring on other instructors! Who would you like to workout with OTR? Let me know!

I know that we all have some residual trauma from exercising at home throughout COVID, but I’m feeling a bit of a shift — more folks are preferring to stay home once in a while & take a class from an instructor they trust. This will never be a cornerstone of TBR (we love seeing you IRL!!), but a fun alternative if you aren’t able to come in — or — just don’t want to change out of your pajamas :).

These flows either use no props, or props that most of you have or can replicate with items around your house. Think — a dish towel, or a book. They range from 5 minutes to about 20/25 minutes, and are designed to just keep you moving wherever you are. They’ve been so fun to film, and I appreciate all of the support we’ve gotten so far!

Chair Classes! Wednesday 9am & Friday 12:15pm

We’ve added 2 regular chair classes to our schedule: Wednesdays @ 9am with Hannah and Fridays at 12:15 with me. After our 4-week chair series, trust me, many of you are ready to dive right in! If you’ve never used the chair — it’s incredible. It’s so challenging & rewarding — a true full body experience.

Reminder: Book Club on Tuesday 8/4 @ 6pm

For our next book club meetup, we’ll be featuring local author Jennifer Herrera! We’re going to read her book, The Hunter, and then she’s going to join us for our rendezvous. It’s so rare & special to have the author come discuss their book, and I really hope you join us! Please send me a note if you plan on attending :).

Some things I consumed/discovered/listened to this month:

A Great Thing I Read This Month:

I’ve primarily been reading our book club book — The Hunter! I’m going to Florida with only my 4-year-old this weekend, so I’m hoping to actually read on the plane while he watches a movie! Something I haven’t been able to do in years.

35 and 1 by Maria Zorn for Longreads is an absolutely beautiful piece. Please read it. I both laughed & cried while reading it myself.

The Paperboy’s Secret by Peter Hessler for The New Yorker about his stint as a paperboy in the late 1970s. Truly a story from another time!

Great Things I Bought/Wanted To Buy This Month:

I feel like I need to write this disclaimer every so often. I know that I could shop less. I know that it’s not great for the environment (although I buy a lot second-hand). I know that it might seem frivolous. But, it’s not! I’ve always loved fashion and personal style, and I’m so glad that I’ve found a way to weave it into my business — which I’m also very passionate about — via this newsletter.

Here we go! I, predictably, fell victim to a few good July 4th sales. I bought these INCREDIBLE green satin shorts from Reformation. I kind of moved away from Reformation for a while — thinking I aged out — but whoever is on their current design team is knocking it out of the park. I also bought this little ringer tee from Vestige during their sale. I’m absolutely obsessed with that store — shopping in there is truly intoxicating.

I sold a few items on Poshmark this month, so I treated myself to two secondhand bags. While I truly loathe having the same things as everyone else, this Dragon Diffusion bag has been on my wishlist forever — so I bought it at a very fair price (much less than the one I’ve linked here — you can find some great deals if you look hard enough!!). I also bought this beat-up canvas Hermes Fourre Tout tote that actually arrived in better-than-expected condition. I plan to repair the corners, and have my girl Gabi from Stitched Provisions jazz it up for me. I can’t decide what I want stitched on it though, so stay tuned.

I had a request for bathing suits — and to be honest — I have rarely come across a bathing suit that I feel amazing in. It’s something I struggle with every summer. The one exception is this top & bottom from LSpace — I have it in 2 colors, and it’s super flattering. I also bought this one piece from Monday Swimwear, and it’s the perfect suit to wear while chasing my kids around the pool without feeling frumpy. I also just ordered this two-piece from Jolyn and I’ll let you know how it fits. I truthfully return almost all of the swimsuits I order — the rare instance when I miss the heyday of in-person shopping!

I get a fair amount of comments on the sunglasses I wear daily. They are these from Crap Eyewear.

Speaking of sun/beach accessories, I am very into bandana print right now (so is Karlee — chat with her about it!). I picked up a few bandanas on Amazon and have been wearing them a lot on the weekends when I don’t feel like washing my hair :).

Ok lastly, don’t sleep on Zara Home. Zara had a huge sale recently, and while I really try to stay away from fast fashion, I bought a cordless lamp for a dark yet outlet-less corner of my house & an acrylic salad bowl — both of which are great quality.

Here are my open tabs (items I have not purchased....yet): These shoes from Tory Burch. They are having a huge sale right now so I’m very tempted. I also love these, but have no place for them in my current life (maybe you do!). This Tigra Tigra skirt — I tried it on at Vesitge months ago and regret not buying! These pants from Cord Studio (again, where am I wearing these?). Also, this tin tissue box cover & strange yet endearing sketch from Etsy