CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: ADVEKIT

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I want to say right up front that this is not a sponsored post. I took this on purely because it's a tool I believe in and a cause I am passionate about. 

How do we reconcile the importance of mental health awareness with the stigmas attached to its challenges?

There is still such a stigma in this country attached to mental health issues and my friends, we gotta cut that shit out. There is such a lack of support for a community of people out there who desperately need it. And we have to stop making assumptions. People experience symptoms of mental illnesses differently—and some engage in potentially dangerous or risky behaviors to avoid or cover up symptoms of a potential mental health problem. When we engage in prevention and early identification, we can help reduce the burden of mental illness by identifying symptoms and warning signs early—and provide effective treatment. Simply having a sounding board is clutch here. A professional listener. 

But it's a conundrum to find someone, right? No one wants to ask out loud "can anyone refer me to a good shrink?" No one wants to attach themselves to that round of judgement. And believe it or not, there's not really a place online to find someone to talk to. I mean, there are 800 numbers and databases, but nothing with a personal touch, which is so needed in this space. You can call your insurance and ask for help, but, well, I don't know about you, but I hate having that conversation with a corporate representative. My personal life is none of their business.

So enter ADVEKIT, a mental health platform that assists people in matching with the right therapist suited to their needs. The previous ways of searching through directory listings for a professionals were exhausting and overwhelming. Advekit is a cost-free website that makes it easy and convenient to find support when you need it. You can punch in a few pivotal facts about yourself and the site shoots back recommended professionals to help. You can limit your search by insurance needs, by your specific mental health need, by geography... This is the kind of thing you read about and think, "WHY HASN'T ANYONE INVENTED THIS YET????"

 

 

I love it. It's like Yelp for your brain. This is needed and I wanted to get further details from the founders, Alison and Arielle. They have the chops, by the way -- Alison is a licensed Psychotherapist and Arielle is an Educator and Financial Consultant.

 

 

1. What specifically inspired you to create Advekit?
Alison: As a licensed therapist, I’m frequently approached by friends and family and asked the best way of finding a therapist. The process of finding professional help can be overwhelming and exhausting – often leading people to give up on their search. We created Advekit as a solution to these tedious alternatives, and our hope is that as many people as possible find the help that they deserve in a simple and straight-forward way.

2. Why do you think mental health professionals would be interested in Advekit?
Arielle: Many mental health professionals have a difficult time marketing themselves and showcasing their unique strengths, especially in saturated areas like L.A. We have found that listing your practice on directories is not the most effective way of reaching the public, as you can often get lost amongst the masses. Advekit matches people with three therapists best suited to their needs. The therapists who are part of our pilot group love that we are focused on showcasing their experience and strengths, and that we are matching them with people who are more likely to be a good fit.

3. Which areas is Advekit currently serving?
Alison: Advekit is currently live in the Los Angeles area, with plans to expand to other major cities within the next 12 months. We are encouraging people to send us feedback via our website if there is a specific city they would like to see us expand to next.

4. What has been your greatest challenge in creating the platform so far?
Arielle: We want every person visiting our site to know that you can search for a therapist completely anonymously and for free. Our goal is to make mental health treatment more accessible and we’d like everyone to feel comfortable looking for the help they need and deserve. We welcome feedback and people sharing their experiences with us – but there is no requirement to sign-up or give out your personal information.

5. What is your long term goal with Advekit?
Alison: Our long term goal is to aid in the mission of de-stigmatizing mental health. As lofty of a statement as that may be, we truly believe that if we can simplify one’s access to mental health treatment, then more people will be encouraged to seek the help that they need. I entered into the mental health profession so that I could support as many people as possible with their internal struggles. I find it to be extremely unfair that mental health has a stigma around it that makes people feel ashamed and embarrassed on top of their suffering. In addition, we have plans to create an interactive experience on our website, which allows for individuals to correspond and support each other through our platform. Keep an eye out for this in the near future!

 

For even more great, helpful information, take a look at Advekit's FAQ as well. It is really well assembled.I should tell you I am not a medical professional and if you are seeking help, please talking to someone. hough. Take advantage of this great, free service! 

Sol Republic Shadow Wireless Earphones - Review & Giveaway!

Maybe you couldn't put your finger on it but when Christmas morning came, something was.... missing. 

Or perhaps with a new year staring you in the face, you're feeling the pressure of making diet resolutions or executing a new exercise regimen. 

But then, you may just be someone who likes shiny objects and new toys. We all know I fall into this third category and so I was very excited to try out some new earphones over the holidays, the Shadow Wireless Earphones from Sol Republic.

(I think in 2016 I am going to have to work on my Selfie game.) 

These are pretty sensational, in fact. They are super light-weight and even though they have a snug fit in the ears, they don't feel uncomfortable around my neck (a style I typically avoid in earphones for that issue). I did a little dance and they didn't fall out of my ears and when I wasn't listening to anything, they just stayed put comfortably like so:

That will be so great for travel so I can put them there and not have to fuss with getting something out of my bag and putting them away.

As with all things Sol Republic, the audio is clear and bright. The noise cancellation is on point - especially for earbuds. I popped them in and even without music playing, the world faded away and that was quite lovely! 

The packaging? Sleek and on fleek:

A couple brief notes of caution, though. I will only say that the blasted sticker on the side of the box was a pain in the tush to peel off. I WANTED IN ON THOSE EARPHONES! And the sticker was making my life challenging. And otherwise, I'd only advise that they do take about an hour to fully charge so if you plan to use them right away when you open them, well, you can't. So just plan accordingly. The good news is, they are very simple to charge with a hidden port on the earbud and a cable that comes with them and charges on any USB port like your phone would.

It's a great time of year to come into some wireless earphones I love! In 2016 plan on seeing me sporting these on walks and during vacations. You can order your own from the company's site but I recommend Amazon, where they are priced the same ($99.99) and you have a few color options. 

But first, stick around! I'm going to give someone a pair to kick off 2016! Enter the giveaway below and keep coming back daily to increase your odds:  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Like two hours after I finished this post I remembered I had to tell you guys that Sol Republic gifted me one pair of these to review honestly for this blog. But I'm paying for the giveaway pair. Because I'm just like Santa Claus. 

Do You Hear What I Hear?

You may not realize it, but we're at war, folks. A war with these horrible, uncomfortable, unnatural creation of man:

Tell me you LOVE wearing these and I'll tell you you're either a liar or that your ears are made of foam. The earbuds that come with your Apple products are horrible, right? Who likes these? Who designed these and thought "There. Fixed it for you." Terrible. 

We all deserve better in both comfort and audio quality so may I recommend to you the Monster Clarity HD Earbuds. They deliver the comfort, higher sound quality, quality noise isolation, improved phone calls... They are extraordinarily durable and they won't fall out of your ears right in the middle of that awesome Christmas jam you're dancing to. 

Check out the brilliant ergonomic design:

Just to make sure they fit, Monster includes size options. My big ol' ears needed the biggest size to ensure they stay put but whatever works, I say! 

Noise isolation is more important to some than others. For me it's crucial because I simply cannot concentrate when I have a ton of background noise. I like to put on one thing in the background and focus on that to concentrate. It's the most critical part of my work routine. So I was skeptical but ultimately astounded to find that these earbuds offer noise isolation -- something you don't often come across outside of over-the-ear or on-the-ear listening devices. 

Added fun - they come in a few colors! If you're feeling sassy, go for the neon yellow or a bold pink! I'm sticking with black. I like them to be camouflaged in my hair. :)

Seriously, y'all. Toss those crappy Apple earbuds in the trash. No one's putting any effort into their composition and nor should you put any effort into using them. Treat yourself to something better in the new year. 

DISCOUNT CODE: When you shop directly with Monster use the code 'MonsterNation' through Christmas to get 20% off! They're also easy to snatch up from Amazon so what are you waiting for? THIS IS WAR! 

Disclosure: Monster provided me with a pair to try in exchange for my honest review. And I really was dancing to holiday jams. It's all I listen to in December.

Music Motivates - Revisiting Sol Republic and an Exciting Giveaway!

This weekend, I had pre-scheduled in my actual calendar that on Saturday, I was absolutely not make any plans and get my act together. My apartment, where I've lived for nearly a year now, is still lacking in organization and as I've been busy at work, chores around the house have fallen by the wayside. In fact even though I finally bought a vacuum, it had been in the box for weeks. 

 

Well, a couple weeks ago, my friends at Sol Republic sent me a care package of sorts.

 

  

 

So when I woke up Saturday morning, needing a little extra inspiration and motivation to enact the great "AJ gets her life together" plan, I tore open a pair of new headphones. 

 

It was like Christmas morning! (Ok, I'm Jewish but I have imagination.)

 

It was a GREAT boost to my spirit! Music HEALS! And I kicked butt. I was emptying boxes, including the one my new vacuum was in -- and I USED IT! My floors looks fantastic. I'm so ecstatic.

 

And, as I do all Sol Republic products, I love these Master Tracks. So much so that for the very first time, I had to bring you guys an "unboxing" video because I really wanted to convey how great they are:

 

 

I mean, I think this counts as vlogging, guys. And I hate vlogging. 

In any case, once I started using them, I was instantly aware of the quality audio which is rich and full with these headphones. These are over-the-ear headphones so if you crank the volume up, you're really not going to hear anything else. They are totally the rockstar, sports car of headphones. And even though they are heavy for headphones, they are super comfortable and easily can be worn for long stretches. They could very well become my new travel headphones, especially because they come with a travel pouch -- always a plus. They don't fold up, but that's really not a big deal -- they take up however much space either way, and I applaud them for a unique design. You can also use them with an iPhone or iPad; the volume controls and mic are compatible. 

 

 

 

 

Let's also not forget how I loved their earbuds. If you're more of an in-ear headphone wearer, definitely consider Sol Republic's Relays Sport. If you buy those, or the Master Tracks, or ANY of their fantastic products (don't forget, you can also customize any purchase by switching up the color of your headband, chord, etc.!), please feel free to use this discount code: LOVEMUSIC01. That code is good through July 31. 

 

And in the meantime, I am more than happy to give away a pair of Sol Republic Tracks (value $99.99) as well! Enter below and help me spread the word about this terrific brand! 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclosure: Like I said, these came to me via "care package" from Sol Republic. All opinions are my own and I'm even popping for postage on the giveaway pair. Because I'm just that awesome. You're welcome. 

When I Finally Gave Into the Selfie Stick

I did. I was so, so cynical, guys. But someone asked me to try a selfie stick so I did. My first exposure was at a bachelorette party. Why should someone stand back and take a photo of everyone else when they can just be in it? And at the subsequent wedding that followed, we found ourselves at it again - in the Church, in the parking lot, at the reception. We were selfie sticking all over! 

And... I liked it. 

And I'm spoiled now. SelfieOnAstick.com is the leading selfie stick provider and has been featured with Vogue as well as the Steve Harvey Show. (Have you seen it? It's surprisingly delightful!) You'll also notice some celebs using it like Ansel Elgort, the Biebs and even a certain family of famous sisters on E! whose names I'll never mention on this blog (they're my Voldemort). They're affiliated with top brands as well -- a testimony to the quality of the product -- like Nordstrom, QVC, Madame Tussaud's, and Old Navy, among others.

I mean, as soon as I opened the box, I was selfie-ing. Look at what a nerd I am....

 

Or as my friend Danielle says, you need not only Selfie. It is also an excellent spy tool. But I'll leave that to devious people like her. ;) 

It's really so easy to use and some models are even bluetooth enabled so you can click your pics with a little remote control. COME ON! I love gadgets and that's a fun gadget. 

Can I hold out my camera and try to squeeze people into a selfie the old-fashioned way? Sure. And then I'll probably end up with a close-up of my nose.... But it's a fun activity for a group. I swear when you pull out the selfie stick, people just start jumping into your photos and then you end up laughing and posing for a whole series.

 

I think that it's easy to use is also what makes it so addicting. If you'll just pardon my very technical jargony terms here, 1. You just stick your phone in the clamp, which is adjustable for any size phone, 2. You plug a little cord into the headphone jack and then poof! All set. 3. There is a little button on the handle for all the selfie-taking your heart desires. It's like crack, I tell you. 

At the end of the day, it's hard to cling to my cynicism when it's just so damned fun to use, so surprisingly convenient, and incredibly affordable. You can buy one straight from the company's website where it comes in a multitude of colors in a few model variations (i.e. the remote control). 

Seriously. Don't judge until you've tried it --  try it and you'll be a believer. 

Disclosure: I was provided with a selfie stick in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. I'm a true selfie stick convert.

Let's Go To The Movies (1.36 Billion Other People Are Doing it!)

As I am always on the look out for the latest and greatest online communities and have yet to find one that has really built itself up around the film indsutry well, I was intrigued by MovieLaLa and will be curious to see how it develops.

In celebration of its launch, they shared this infographic with me and since it's Oscar week, it seemed like a fun time to share it with you! I love the Oscars and can't wait to watch! (Idina Menzel is performing "Let it Go" from Frozen and in case you hadn't heard, I kind of like that movie.) 

Sol Republic's Relays Headphones are Light Weight, Low-Pro and Awesome

You know I get giddy over shiny new toys -- and especially earphones. What if I could just start a blog where I reviewed earphones, guys? Would that be weird? Cause I'm kind of down with that idea...

Introducing SOL REPUBLIC's Relays, in-ear earpphones (not quote earbuds, just FYI) that offer the benefits of a sports headphone but have amazing style. The Relays also roll out Sol Republic's new FreeFlex™ technology, which enables a universal fit and makes them easy to put in your ear and stay there regardless of how intensely you move. (Well we'll see about that...!) 

For sports and outdoor use, it's marvelous that Relays are water and sweat resistant with a clip-on cable that ensures it won’t ever get caught. And, no need to change headphones when commuting or working because the easily accessible mic and phone control lets you seamlessly stay in touch. I am obsessed with this feature. I listen to music or video almost all day at work and once I got the hang of the control shortcuts, it was awesome to be able to click around with the little cable-attached controller! Loved it. It's not just play, forward and back. You have access to volume, mute, answering your phone, pausing, stopping. It's incrediby versatile for something the size of a small paperclip.

More.... 

Packaging - Sophisticated. It presents well, the cable is prevented from getting tangled and they provide you with a little snappy pouch to transport them in. I find a lot of heaphones come with their own cases these days and it's an accesory I value. Keeping the cable from getting tangled is key to preserving them even longer. 

Fit - They do stay put. The Relays come with four ear-tip sizes so they are uber customizable. I started with the biggest ones, assuming that's what I'd need, but after a little while, felt too much pressure from them and moved down a size. That was perfect. And they're not bullet-shaped -- as you can see they're kind of like little discs so they look kind of cool on -- and they're not awkward like those horrible earbuds that come with iPhones these days. (I hate those --- does anyone like those things? I think they're horrible.)

Plus, keep in mind that Sol Republic has an “Ear Tips for Life” program so you never have to worry if you lose your ear tips. That means they will replace your ear tips anytime they are lost, misplaced or if you simply want a different size. That's ppretty cool. They stay on the earphones really well but lord knwos they're small and things have been known to happen... 

Sound - Again, they're disc shaped and the size of a dime at best, so I was pretty impressed that with the volume just at a resonable level, I heard almost no external sounds, which is how I like it. Especially when I'm working (although this means sometimes people have to literally hit me to get my attention). 

Sol Republic Relays are available now in Black for $79.99 at VerizonWireless and will be available nationwide in Black & White, Horizon Blue and Lemon Lime at leading nationwide retailers in February.

And all your dreams just came true because in addition, Sol Republic has provided a pair of Relays for me to give away! Enter below and come back daily to boost your chance to win. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was provided with a pair of Relays to test our in exchange for my honest review of the product. They also provided a pair for me to give away to one of you, so you stop that cynicism right there, you nervous Nelly.

Dear COFG...? Who me?

I got this email last week:

Greetings! You seem really into social media and wanted to ask you what applications and tools you can't live without.

There was a bit more but it was personal to the writer, so I'm paraphrasing. 

Alright, so if you have a couple hours, I will respond.

Just kidding. I mean, truly, outside of the obvious -- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr -- I could refer you to a helluva lot. I just counted; I have 238 apps on my iPhone. That can't be normal. And that's not even all -- I am sure I have apps on my iPad that I don't keep on my iPhone. Okay, not I feel a little queasy. And I think I need to clean up my app drawers....

Can anyone top that?

But anyway, like I said, other than the obvious, here are my favorite apps and programs. I hope you find something on the list that you simply must try or something you just started using and also love. Do let me know in the comments below - I love to hear about that stuff.

And despite having so many frickin' things on my phone, if you don't see an app I absolutely have to try, I hope you'll drop me a note about that, too!

Bloglovin' - Thank the lord someone posted about this to my SoCal Lady Bloggers Facebook group. You go to the site, sign up, add all the blogs you want to follow, and then you get notified every time one of your favorite blogs has written a new blog post. There is a Google Chrome plugin, a web-based application and an app. I can now read alll of my blogs all the time in any place and never miss a beat. Mind blown.

Buffer - Plenty of apps let you schedule tweets and posts but as we've learned thus far, I like things with Google Chrome plugins. And it keeps me from over-scheduling. I have my buffer set to a few times a day and as I drop articles and such into the queue, it posts them at those times. It's a great -- I love to share all the fabulous things I come across and Buffer helps me not annoy people. It also has an app and I use its "share now" function when I want to tweet and facebook at the same time. 

Catch - There are a ton of project management tools. You'll see two more immediately following this one. But I like Catch because of its simple, clean and color-coded user interface and its sharability -- both with myself and my various homes online and with friends and collaborators. 

Dropbox - You're probably using it. Simply put, you can put files in your dropbox and access them anywhere. It's really wonderful for work because I can check my work email at home, but not my files and so if I am in the middle of something and need to head out of the office, I can pop the file into the dropbox and pick it up on the other side. And in a pinch, I can grab things on my phone, too. 

Evernote - Yes. Yes, I use this and Catch. I just like different things about the two so I've just decided to use both. Catch is a great, user-friendly app, but Evernote has some bells and whistles I really appreciate. It also has a native desktop app for Windows and OSX as well as a Chrome plugin, so it's really the MOST accessible thing ever. On top of that you get the ability to add documents to notes, seamless integration with other apps, the ability to secure your notes with a passcode lock when opening the app and more. 

Goodreads - I am proud to say I've been on board with GR since it's creation in 2007. It's a really great online community. It is the world’s largest site for readers, book lovers and book recommendations. They just want you to love reading. What's more, TONS of authors are involved with GR and post to it regularly. It's so much fun. I've also worked with them in my professional life -- they could not be a nicer group. I hope Amazon's recent purchase of Goodreads does not change its mojo. (Consequently, I hope it does not leave Shelfari employees without jobs.)

If This, Then That (IFTTT) - Omigod, I don't know how to explain this genius. You need to click on the acronym and see for yourself. I guess it's like a recipe book for online. For example, whenever I take a photo in Instagram, IFTTT detects a "recipe" I created and simultaneously saves that photo to my Dropbox. There are nearly 3400 recipes on IFTTT. You're welcome.

Instacollage - There are like 10 million photo apps, right? This one lets me make collages. You can add frames, backgrounds, upload directly to Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and so on. And it's FREE, internets. Enjoy. 

MyMovies - If I have 238 apps in my iPhone, I'm sure I have DOUBLE that amount in my DVD and Blu-ray home library. To be fair, I worked in film and TV for six years. You just acquire a lot of stuff. But this hoarding-hobby started in college, if I'm being honest. The residents (of my dorm) with the biggest VHS collections were the most popular -- everyone came to visit me to borrow movies. I made many friends that way. And recently, when I was bitching about losing track of my collection, the editor of Monsters & Critics directed me to MyMovies. God bless him, it's the best thing ever. I can scan bar codes before I even put them on the shelf and BOOM! Cataloged. And so great to just let people pan through on my phone to see what they wanna borrow. (P.S. There is a free version of this app, but I paid the $4.99 so I can access my library from my account, not just from my device. That will make things considerably easier when I get a new phone some day.) 

Pocket - Once a link is saved to Pocket, the list of content is visible on any device -- phone, tablet or computer. It can be even be viewed offline. Pocket is available for all major devices and platforms including iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, Android, Google Chrome, and Firefox. When I'm working, I pocket articles I come across and read them at home later. Great tool.

Timehop - I am always, always surprised more people are not using TImehope. A friend told me about it a year or so ago. It's part of my daily routine now. You can see your photos and updates from this exact day in history from up to seven years ago. And you can share things with friends -- it's a great way to laugh about an old joke or revisit an old, loved memory.

Tinyscan - TinyScan turns your iPhone into a mini scanner for documents, photos, receipts and other texts and saves or shares them as PDF files. I didn't even realize this costs money -- someone gave me a promo code for it a while back. $4.99 seems like a lot for an app to me but it may be worth it if you could use this for business.

Tweetdeck - Tweetdeck is not what it used to be, but I still like it more than Hootsuite. It brings more flexibility and insight to Twitter power users. I've just recently started using it as a plugin in Chrome and viewing it in a tab. It's revent purchase and revamp by Twitter makes it work better though I still miss it interfacing with Facebook.

Waze - I did this alphabetically, but I LOVE Waze more than words can say, so it fits that it's in the "best for last" spot. Waze, which was recently purchased by Google (don't screw it up!), is the fastest-growing community-based traffic and navigation app. Join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute. It finds traffic jams and navigates you around them. THAT is my favorite feature. Last night, it cut 20 minutes out of my drive home. I was THRILLED. And no, I do NOT use it while I'm driving. That is why you take advantage of Siri, people. And voice command. Learn it. Embrace it.