Hi friends!! I am Megan Smalley, the owner of Scarlet & Gold, an online gift and lifestyle brand. Born and raised in Houston, TX, I moved 10 hours away to go to college and have never moved back. I met and fell in love with my hubby while I was cheering at Auburn University. We settled in Auburn and love living the small college town life. My husband is a teacher and a basketball coach so we spend our winter nights in the gym and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He is so passionate about what he does and that inspires me every day.
How do you take care of yourself so that you’re physically and mentally prepared to be your best self for others?
Taking care of myself is not something I would say I do well. I am a goer and a doer and would rather spend all of my energy making sure my people are ok than worrying about myself. But over the past few years I have started to realize that I can’t do what I need to do well if I don’t first take care of myself. So this is something that I am continually working on. Right now, I work from home. So finding work/life balance is a daily struggle. To keep my sanity, I have tried to implement some boundaries that have really helped. First, I try to get up and going in the morning so that I have some quiet time before my staff gets to the house. This allows me to prepare for the day, do my quiet time, get organized, etc. I also have started trying to go on long walks 4-5 times per week. I am the type of person that doesn’t sit behind a desk very well. I need to be up and moving around. So I have found that on my hour long walks during the week is when I have my best ideas. It’s a time for me to pray, to think, to clear my head and to get some much needed exercise. I think that finding balance in your life is something that is always an evolution. I don’t think anyone will ever feel like they’ve arrived in this area but it is important to always make strides forward.
What is one tradition or routine that’s really important to you / your family? And why?
A tradition that me and my husband have that started very early on when we were dating is that we don’t say bye to each other. We say “See ya later.” Blake always used to tell me that it’s not good bye, we will just see each other later. I love this reminder every day because I do travel a lot and Blake works long hours during the school year. No matter what the day has brought us, I love being reminded that at the end of the day (or week), we will be back together again.
Your PICK SIX: What 6 things (products, services, etc) can you absolutely not live without?
1) Starbucks – I don’t drink a lot of caffeine but I am NOT a morning person. So my morning drive to Starbucks is my alone time to think and pray in the morning.
2) Young Living oils + Diffuser – I used to be so anti all things “granola” but our art director, Koral, has opened my eyes to the benefits of living naturally. So, I am addicted to our “smoke machine” as my husband calls it. In the mornings I diffuse peppermint + lemon oil to wake me up and at night I love their peace & calming oil. As an entrepreneur, it’s so hard to ever turn it off. It takes me forever to fall asleep at night so this oil has definitely helped.
3) Lululemon – I live in work out clothes. I am a very simple girl and I enjoy being comfortable. I do sometimes think people in business don’t take me seriously because I am young, a woman, and don’t exactly dress “professional” at work. But, our brand represents who I am and this is how I work best – comfortable.
4) Chick fil A – I don’t know what I ever did without Chick Fil A in my life.
5) Linda – Linda is our wonderful housekeeper. This may sound snobby or crazy but we have had a housekeeper from the very beginning of our marriage, not because we could afford it, but because it is beneficial for our marriage. We both work full time so instead of being a nagging wife constantly begging for some help around the house, we have cut back in other areas so that we can afford to hire a housekeeper. I believe that you spend your money on what is important to you and not being a nagging wife is very important to me. I want our house to be a place that my husband loves to be. So I refuse to that wife that complains all the time about my husband or drives him crazy with a to do list around the house.
6 ) Bible – Stereotypical, I know. But it’s the honest truth. My life, my business, my family, my marriage – God’s Word is essential to every area of my life. Sometimes in the busy seasons, it’s so hard to stop and find time to pour into your spiritual life, but it is a time each day that you will never regret. Find time for it.
At Scarlet & Gold, we believe in building community through being vulnerable about life’s struggles. We use our real lives to inspire our products, our messages and our artwork. This is something that I love about Emily too. What is the point of going through something hard if you can’t encourage someone else along the way? My husband and I are currently battling infertility which is a really hard thing to go through. I talk about it openly on our blog because I know that so many women struggle with it and feel so alone. Our team has created our Give Grace campaign to help raise money for people going through IVF and adoption as well as to raise awareness about the struggle of infertility. You can read more about the campaign and how to get involved here: http://www.scarletandgoldshop.com/givegrace/.
Follow along with Megan:
Website – http://www.scarletandgoldshop.com
Instagram – @scarletandgoldshop, @megansmalley
Blog – http://www.scarletandgoldshop.com/inspirememonday/
