As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we s As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we should call ourselves?!) I haven't ever really experienced a winter season. I've enjoyed winter many times while in many different cities including, Edinburgh, London, NYC, and Boston. But I've never lived in winter day in and day out. After a week it was always time to fly home to my palm trees and theme parks. This winter is the first time that I am experiencing cold temperatures daily and often experiencing grey skies. It's only been about two weeks and I have to admit that it is a huge adjustment. But I am doing my best to embrace the season and stay as cozy as possible. I am used to being outside as often as possible in winter while hibernating with the A/C running all summer. So I guess now I will be reversing those habits and bundling up until spring gets here.
For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing o For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing only, @hipcityveg. Although I still miss all my favorite Orlando foodie places, I am so excited to finally be so close to a Hip City Veg location. It's my all-time favorite plant-based restaurant and I have been craving this vegan milkshake for months! If you haven't been yet and you are in DC or Philadelphia, go right now!
I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This last trip around the sun was during a very difficult time in our world but I can't personally complain much about the last 365 days. I thought I would be taking over as the lead on a contract at a Disney hotel as their main wedding photographer. I had been photographing weddings there for years but covid had other plans. Instead, I watched as the entire world shut down around me, only for the hotel to reopen as a part of the NBA bubble. So I decided to jump headfirst into running a product-based business. It's something I wanted to do for years and yet I could never quite seem to muster up the nerve to fully go after that dream. I launched my first collection of candles, sold out in days, and things have been steadily growing since then for @kismetandcharisma. After finally going after my dream of switching from service-based to product-based, I co-founded a nonprofit. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and the stars finally aligned to bring it to light. Along with my best friend, Anna, I co-founded @LoveDoesntHurtInc. It has already healed me in ways I never thought possible and I can't wait to see what our nonprofit does for other people. I also consistently recorded @heartandhustlepodcast all year alongside my ride or die, @studio404design. Outside of work, I adopted the sweetest little pup ever as a present for my husband's quarantine birthday (best present ever). I didn't finish writing my own book but I managed to read quite a few other books. I battled anxiety as usual but I managed to learn when to turn the news off and FaceTime a friend instead of continuing to doomscroll. I also convinced my husband to leave OCPS to work for a school district that would like to keep him alive during the pandemic, which resulted in us relocating to the DC area. Here's hoping that this trip around the sun is filled with the same amount of professional success but WAY more hugs.
Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some o Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some of the local coffee shops in DC and NOVA. You would never know that I don't like coffee by how often I am spending money in coffee shops. I do, however, love just about every tea I come across. Earthy, fruity, sweet, bitter, it doesn't matter. I love them all. Any other tea lovers out there? Do you like coffee and tea or just one or the other?
This year is off to a wild start. I literally star This year is off to a wild start. I literally started the New Year on the road, driving somewhere just south of Raleigh. We slept in Raleigh for a few hours and then finished the drive to our new home in the DMV. We have been here just over a week now which feels pretty hard to believe. In some ways, it feels shorter and in others, it feels much longer. I don't feel at home yet but yesterday was a beautiful day and definitely the best one that I have had since we moved here. It definitely has me feeling hopeful. I know that this year won't magically be better than last year but I am going to be doing everything I can to make it a better year for myself and everyone I know.
Instagram post 18186913066037488 Instagram post 18186913066037488
Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the sam Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the same time is going to be incredibly difficult! 💔
Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bea Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bear. 🤍🎄
Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with jo Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with joy and laughter. 🎄☃️🕯
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Health + Wellness · April 6, 2016

Four Reasons to Work Out That Have Nothing To Do With The Way You Look

It wasn’t that long ago that a trip to the gym felt a little like visiting a prison to me. I spent most of my workouts looking at the clock and wondering how much longer I had to suffer. My how times have changed! Now I look forward to workouts and when they are over, I can’t wait until the next one.

The obvious benefit of working out is the physical changes that you will see but there are so many more reasons to workout.

Gym

Energy Level

Every day when I walk out of the gym around 6:30AM, I feel energy coursing through my body. My day seems to go by faster and I don’t experience the 2PM crash that I used to deal with everyday. If I skip my 5AM workout, I feel tired by noon. If I skip my 5AM workout for a few days, I WAKE UP tired. Unfortunately, waking up tired has become the norm for so many people and was once a daily reality for me. Now, thanks to my daily workouts, I sleep well through the night, wake up feeling well rested, and have more than enough energy to handle my busy schedule.

Healthy Food Choices

I’m not a doctor or a scientist so I won’t even try to tell you the science behind it but I know from experience that working out consistently makes it easier to make healthier decisions when it comes to food. After a good workout, your body craves protein and wants to be hydrated. Sweet, starchy, and heavy foods just loose their luster after a workout (and this is coming from the QUEEN of loving all things baked goods). Now this doesn’t mean that you will never ever want pizza or chocolate again. It just means that intense cravings normally become less frequent and healthy food becomes more appreciated.

HealthyChoices

Stress and Anxiety Relief

Unfortunately, I have had my fair share of anxiety attacks in my life. I have suffered from extreme anxiety since I was sixteen but it definitely reached new heights when I became a business owner. I also feel like I carry stress in my shoulders and lower back on a daily basis. Consistent workouts make handling my anxiety and stress levels a much easier task. In fact, thanks to a mix of consistent workouts, meditation, and breathing exercises, I haven’t had an anxiety attack in years. If you are suffering from anxiety or another mental health issue, working out and the release of endorphins that goes along with those workouts can be very helpful.

Confidence

Over the past ten years I have been many sizes. Some of those sizes I have felt more comfortable in than others. What really surprised me though was that at my largest size, I ended up feeling more confident than I did at my smallest because of the way that working out makes me feel. When your body is releasing endorphins after a great workout and you just beat your last time for a run or lifted more than you did last week, it’s hard not to feel really good about yourself. When I leave the gym in the morning, I feel like I’m floating on air. The last thing I am worried about at that moment is my pants size or the number on the scale. Working out has given me a confidence that being skinny never did.

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You don’t have to start out with extremely long workouts. You don’t even need to start in the gym. A 30 minute walk outside everyday can be a life changing experience. Start where you are comfortable and slowly push yourself. Start in a way that is going to make you continue coming back for more. Just start! Because once you start, you realize that you are absolutely worth it.

In: Health + Wellness · Tagged: gym, health, healthy, self-love, workout

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Hi! I'm Charisma, a creative entrepreneur who loves to help others reach their full potential. I'm a photographer, a writer, and the owner of Kismet + Charisma, an online boutique that pairs minimalist, cozy, boho style with activism. In my little corner of the internet you'll find my latest travels, what I'm currently reading, how I practing Black joy as resistence, and how I'm finding hygge in my daily life. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea, and stay awhile.

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As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we s As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we should call ourselves?!) I haven't ever really experienced a winter season. I've enjoyed winter many times while in many different cities including, Edinburgh, London, NYC, and Boston. But I've never lived in winter day in and day out. After a week it was always time to fly home to my palm trees and theme parks. This winter is the first time that I am experiencing cold temperatures daily and often experiencing grey skies. It's only been about two weeks and I have to admit that it is a huge adjustment. But I am doing my best to embrace the season and stay as cozy as possible. I am used to being outside as often as possible in winter while hibernating with the A/C running all summer. So I guess now I will be reversing those habits and bundling up until spring gets here.
For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing o For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing only, @hipcityveg. Although I still miss all my favorite Orlando foodie places, I am so excited to finally be so close to a Hip City Veg location. It's my all-time favorite plant-based restaurant and I have been craving this vegan milkshake for months! If you haven't been yet and you are in DC or Philadelphia, go right now!
I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This last trip around the sun was during a very difficult time in our world but I can't personally complain much about the last 365 days. I thought I would be taking over as the lead on a contract at a Disney hotel as their main wedding photographer. I had been photographing weddings there for years but covid had other plans. Instead, I watched as the entire world shut down around me, only for the hotel to reopen as a part of the NBA bubble. So I decided to jump headfirst into running a product-based business. It's something I wanted to do for years and yet I could never quite seem to muster up the nerve to fully go after that dream. I launched my first collection of candles, sold out in days, and things have been steadily growing since then for @kismetandcharisma. After finally going after my dream of switching from service-based to product-based, I co-founded a nonprofit. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and the stars finally aligned to bring it to light. Along with my best friend, Anna, I co-founded @LoveDoesntHurtInc. It has already healed me in ways I never thought possible and I can't wait to see what our nonprofit does for other people. I also consistently recorded @heartandhustlepodcast all year alongside my ride or die, @studio404design. Outside of work, I adopted the sweetest little pup ever as a present for my husband's quarantine birthday (best present ever). I didn't finish writing my own book but I managed to read quite a few other books. I battled anxiety as usual but I managed to learn when to turn the news off and FaceTime a friend instead of continuing to doomscroll. I also convinced my husband to leave OCPS to work for a school district that would like to keep him alive during the pandemic, which resulted in us relocating to the DC area. Here's hoping that this trip around the sun is filled with the same amount of professional success but WAY more hugs.
Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some o Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some of the local coffee shops in DC and NOVA. You would never know that I don't like coffee by how often I am spending money in coffee shops. I do, however, love just about every tea I come across. Earthy, fruity, sweet, bitter, it doesn't matter. I love them all. Any other tea lovers out there? Do you like coffee and tea or just one or the other?
This year is off to a wild start. I literally star This year is off to a wild start. I literally started the New Year on the road, driving somewhere just south of Raleigh. We slept in Raleigh for a few hours and then finished the drive to our new home in the DMV. We have been here just over a week now which feels pretty hard to believe. In some ways, it feels shorter and in others, it feels much longer. I don't feel at home yet but yesterday was a beautiful day and definitely the best one that I have had since we moved here. It definitely has me feeling hopeful. I know that this year won't magically be better than last year but I am going to be doing everything I can to make it a better year for myself and everyone I know.
Instagram post 18186913066037488 Instagram post 18186913066037488
Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the sam Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the same time is going to be incredibly difficult! 💔
Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bea Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bear. 🤍🎄
Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with jo Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with joy and laughter. 🎄☃️🕯
One of my favorite things to do during the holiday One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is visit NYC. I usually love to go around Thanksgiving or the first week of December. I'm really missing it this year but it's exciting to know that next year around this time I will be a short drive away from NYC.

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