🏁NKO Club | Vol.10 Good Things Come to Those Who ACT 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

01 Wellness Spotlight

Action > Perfection: Stop Waiting for the Perfect Timing!

7:32 AM PST I woke up to a jolt of panic on Tuesday morning after an already wild week: “ WE HAVE TO SEND OUT THE PASSCODE FOR ACCESS TO THE NKO CLUB TRUCKER HAT LAUNCH!!!”

While simultanesouly fielding calls from my former unhinged realtor about parting ways, my lawyer ready to draft a letter to handle it, my team asking for edits on a recent brand post and with 3 different meetings looming later in the day at BIG networks and studios I've only dreamed of but a little nervous for…frantic is an understatement. Alex and I worked from bed hunched over our laptops while we launched the Early Access email, worked on the backend to get the Canadian shipping up, dmed responses and cross-posting on socials to a background chorus the satisfying but cheerfully suffocating dings from Shopify orders coming in like slot machines in a Vegas casino.

IT WAS SLOPPY, IT WAS FRANTIC, there is a laundry list of things I could’ve done differently (like more prep/ marketing and planning) but IT WAS FINALLY OUT FOR THE WORLD and no longer an idea in our minds. In fact, the early access code ensured we SOLD OUT of all the printed inventory in less than 2 hours?!?

Holy freaking hell.

THE FIRST TIME AT ANYTHING will NEVER be to the standard you hope for go as planned. In fact, I have so much certainty in that I would love to add it to the “inevitables” list like death and taxes.

Your first day on the job, your first time trying a new recipe or speaking a new language or learning how to BOX will leave you feeling deflated, often uncoordinated and frankly a little discouraged. GOOD. This is where growth happens. For so many of us we build narratives and stories in our head about what an experience will be like, so much so we secretly start to discredit our abilities and eventually can self-sabotage to the point that “if it won’t be perfect then I am not ready yet.”

In the words of Cher in “Moonstruck”:

Renowned entrepreneur Richard Branson once said, “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” Do not let the idea of perfect be the enemy of good, because in the end it’s ACTION that takes concepts from ideas to reality. Make it, do it, create it, even if the first time is sloppy. The hardest step is always the first one, taking off from the starting line. But momentum is impossible to create without first taking some form of action, if even small and even if far from perfect.

Action doesn’t have to be grand. It’s the small, consistent steps that lead to monumental evolutions in our lives so know I am here with you, building the courage, “SENDING IT” and out here faking it until we actually become it for our future selves. Thank you for the support, patience, and wonderful feedback as we launched our first of many drops and MORE BIG NEWS SOON!

BODY TAPPING

Tactile touch can be a great way to use the physical to break down a mental block when your body is in functional freeze! This technique involves gentle tapping on various parts of your body to help release tension and stimulate energy flow. It’s simple, quick, and can be done anywhere/ anytime you need to reset!

Body Tapping Technique

1. Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or stand comfortably, and take a moment to center yourself, focusing on exhaling any tension out of your body.

2. Start Tapping:

   • Upper Body: Use your fingertips to tap gently on your shoulders, collarbone, and chest. Spend about 30 seconds on each area.

   • Arms: Move to your arms, tapping from your shoulders down to your wrists. You can alternate between arms or tap both at the same time.

   • Legs: Tap your thighs and then down to your knees and calves. Again, spend about 30 seconds on each area.

3. Focus on Your Breath: As you tap, breathe deeply. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This helps to integrate the physical stimulation with calming breath.

4. Check In: After a few minutes of tapping, pause and notice how you feel. Pay attention to any shifts in your energy or mood.

5. Set an Intention: Once you feel more present and grounded, take a moment to set an intention for the next step you want to take, whether it’s a small action or a decision.

Body tapping activates the nervous system and helps release pent-up energy, making it a great way to shift out of a freeze state. It’s supported by principles in practices like Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), which suggest that tapping can help reduce anxiety and stress. I learned this somatic technique from my therapist years ago and find small, minimal actions are enough low-effort, high-presence movements that get me out of a mental rut!

Whenever you feel stuck, try “tapping” it out!

03 Nutrition

Popeye’s Protein Pasta

Ok Italians are purists so (mi dispiace) BUT this recipe was so EASY to put together and takes less than 25 min. I often make this in a pinch when I want comfort food but need to sneak in more greens to the day!

Popeye’s Protein Pasta

INGREDIENTS:
⚡️rigatoni pasta (use chickpea or Barilla Protein + to up protein content)
⚡️ bag of spinach (around 6-8 oz)
⚡️ 10 oz. Firm Tofu
⚡️ 4 tbs cashews
⚡️2 tbs nutritional yeast
⚡️ 4 tbs feta cheese (can leave out and opt for more nutritional yeast or began cheese alt to make dairy free)
⚡️ 2-3 garlic cloves
⚡️olive oil
⚡️ 1-2 tbs red chili flakes
⚡️1/4 cup reserved pasta water
⚡️ splash of olive oil

Get a pasta pot boiled with salted water and cook rigatoni to instructions (Al dente is best here)

While boiling the pasta, Wilt the spinach leaves in a pan and cook through for about 2-3 minutes.

Transfer the spinach to a blender and add the rest of the ingredients: tofu, olive oil, cashews, nutritional yeast, feta, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes and blend. Add some of the pasta water as needed to get the sauce to the right consistency.

After boiling and straining the pasta, add to the sauce on low heat simply to warm while distributing.

Remove from heat and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some pecorino or Dairy Free cheese on top! Consider drizzling some high quality olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky malden salt to finish!

04 Shopping
More TRAVEL, wedding season fits, meeting outfits and favorite glasses all for you this week!

Shop my LTK site for more.

06 NKO CLUB SPOTLIGHT

WANT TO NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THE SPOTLIGHT?

Follow @NKOclub on IG and fill out this NKO Club Nomination form to submit a friend and fellow club member for their rightful place in the spotlight!