Raise the bar.

Have you been to a bar recently? I clearly haven’t.

I had an amazing intimate 5 hour dinner on Saturday night with two of my dearest girlfriends and then got a call from another bestie to come meet her and her husband (and our buddy TJ) at a bar.

Normally I’m in jammies by 8pm, reading in bed by 8:45.

I was wildin’ out, y’all.

What is going on with bars?

Has it always been like this?

I walked in and it felt like a dog and pony show. People dressed up, glittery and trying to stand out with maybe a little too much cosmetic surgery and a subtle, lingering of cologne … Not sure if you’ve smelled this one … like a dash of insecurity and desperation with top notes of 2000’s hip hop and musty wet bar back rags?

Mmmm … delicious.

Please know, I’m not speaking as if I’m above this. I’m just saying as an observer, as someone who does not frequent bars, the vibes are all off.

At this point in my life and having lost my best friend/love; I value the relationship with my child, the relationship with my closest circle, and my relationship to my SELF more than words can express. I feel like my spider sense is at peak Spideyville.

I don’t drink much and if I do, I stick to tequila.

Pretty much straight … If we’re going to be specific Mezcal with a slice of orange. Saturday night I could feel myself straddling the fence of anti-social jadedness and perfectly aged intuition.

Like a green eyed, 5’8 Don Julio 1942.

When I finally got home and laid my head down, I thought what would it look like if bars led with fun, truth, laughter, zero tension, and curiosity. Perhaps this dynamic isn’t possible with total strangers randomly passing through but what if we all led with this highest, clearest version of self.

I’d be in this bar all the time. What’s not to like?

I wasn’t out pinning for love.

Or friends.

Or clients.

But some folks were … it was that scent of ‘seeking’ that was in the air.

As I type this a song titled We Are The Ones is playing and she’s saying “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for”… I love these Godwinks. I get them nonstop. All day. It’s uncanny and becoming commonplace so I don’t know the right descriptor yet however it makes my next right step feel more divinely guided and that is the best feeling.

Sometimes my growth moves at a snails pace. “Doing the work” as we love to say can be absolutely exhaustive and the slow drip, which a proper growth cycle requires, feels like you’re forever in the weeds. Rarely, if ever, do we get to bypass the pain to reach the resolution. Growth is prickly.

More and more I can sense the energy of those people who are seeking the clearer, brighter version of themselves. It’s an inquisitiveness that feels free of calculation. What I noticed in that bar the other night was how people’s movement, gestures, tone and body language was simply that, calculated.

See me.

Hear me.

Choose me.

Gosh, if we could see, hear, and choose ourselves every day imagine the state of the world. Maybe then we wouldn’t wait on others to do it for us. Back to the personal development drawing board we go. Back to the prickly bits of checking your own blind sightedness, honoring your inner child’s voice with the nurturing you always needed, and sticking to your word by choosing your highest path.

I’d hang out there.

What are we gonna name this bar?

Home?

Let’s go with that.

I’ll meet you at Home.

OKAYILOVEYOUBYEEE,

xx

Nic.

ps. CLASSES THIS WEEK:

* Tuesday QUICKIE YOGA (today) 12-12:30pm pst. $10. This is a well rounded, accessible yoga flow paired with music that includes mobility work and a 5 minute savasana. It’s meant to be a community offering at $10 a class and if you need financial assistance, just reach out. Hope to see you soon. Sign up here.

* Saturday FULL BODY STRENGTH 7:15-8am pst. $20. This is the FIRST work out class of the MARCH FIT program but open to anyone. We begin with CARS, strength train lower and upper body, enjoy 2 dance breaks, and then end with a 5 minute guided meditation. It’s all levels and the weekend energy is always a delight.  Sign up here.

* Saturday AVIATOR NATION YOGA FLOW 9-10am, 10:15-11:15am. In person, in Santa Monica. Come on out. Sign up here.

* Sunday AVIATOR NATION YOGA FLOW. 10:45-11:45am. In person, in Santa Monica. Come on out. Sign up here.

pps. EPISODE 10 OF SHOCK AND YALL IS OUT NOW. Today I’m speaking with the captivating Jordana Toback. Jordana is a movement coach and Core Energetics Practitioner. She helps you build a body that can hold success and failure via understanding the personality patterns, moving intelligently and unpacking our deepest truth so we are aligned for what comes our way. We could have gone on much longer (I feel this way with all my precious guests)…learn more about her here.

ppps. MARCH FIT 2024 kicks off on Friday at 9am pst/12pm est. This is my 30 day, 13 class monthly strength training group for ladies. In Friday’s class we will be doing a group check in, intros, a visualization and I’ll share some homework you’ll be doing in the first week. My hope is that this month is the BEST month yet and we remember how to RAISE OUR OWN BAR. February has been awesome and as we move into spring I’m so looking forward to planting seeds for the warmer days ahead. What you commit to now, you will reap in a few months and let me tell you, that FEELS GOOD.

We do CARS in each class, strength train upper, lower, and full body as well as incorporate a mobility yoga flow each week. All classes go up on demand if you can’t make the live session. The women are FIRE CRACKERS OF SUPPORT. It’s just the best. I’ve never had this much fun working this hard. Learn more here…Join us this Friday.

pppps. Would you kindly leave me a quick review on Apple? Spotify requires my Pod to be up and running for 2 years before it allows reviews…so in the mean time, you could speak your mind here.