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Heroine Training™

live your story | be your own heroine

Archives for May 2014

5 Broadway Heroes and Heroines to Live By

5 Broadway Heroes and Heroines to Live By

When I really need motivation to get stuff done, sure I’ll crank up some Queen or Beyoncé sometimes, but for me the most effective musical inspo comes from Broadway. The heroes and heroines on the Great White Way sing some powerful stuff. Here are five of my favorites!

Broadway Heroes and Heroines to Live By

1. Elphaba from Wicked

Despite her differences, Elphaba is driven by her desire to change the world. She’s super smart, works hard, and goes after what she believes is right, even if it’s “unpopular”. For fueling up with motivation, listen to “The Wizard and I” and  “Defying Gravity”. Here’s a girl who never gives up, even if she takes a wrong turn, and even when all of Oz wants to melt her. Leave behind your preconceptions about the Wicked Witch of the West and hear her side of the story.

2. Pippin from Pippin

5 Broadway Heroes and Heroines to Live By

Pippin is a musical about what it means to be a star, and how to reconcile that with also being oneself. Pippin is a dreamer, son of Charlemagne, who just wants to find his “Corner of the Sky” (don’t we all?). Meanwhile, the audience is guided through his story as it become a spectacle (and in the current Broadway revival, a circus). Pippin wants to be “Extraordinary”, but what does that even mean? What about just being Pippin?

3. Elle Woods from Legally Blonde

Broadway Heroes and Heroines to Live By

Elle Woods is on a mission to prove to the world that she’s serious. Blonde and pink-clad do not mean bimbo, and Harvard Law School seems like a good place to make her case. Elle learns to harness her work ethic in “Chip on My Shoulder” (Christian Borle as Emmett!), and takes a victory lap in “So Much Better”.

4. Jojo from Seussical

Broadway Heroes and Heroines to Live By

Leave it to Dr. Seuss to inspire one of the greatest musical odes to youth and imagination. Our young hero Jojo turns mundane things like bathtubs into vessels for adventure despite the grownups around him frowning upon his creative ways (“It’s Possible”). (Or “her” – Jojo can be a played by boy or a girl). He feels “Alone in the Universe”, but so does Horton the Elephant, and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Also fabulous is Gertrude McFuzz, who faces unrequited love and realizes that changing her appearance isn’t the answer.

5. Patsy from SpamalotBroadway Heroes and Heroines to Live By

King Arthur’s pal Patsy is the best friend you could ask for. He carries Arthur’s stuff, plays the coconuts, and sings uplifting tunes: “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.

…Encore!

For more jazz hands and Broadway hero-worshipping, listen to this week’s episode of FabulosiTEA: Giving Our Regards to Broadway! [Here for iTunes].

Who are your favorite Broadway heroes and heroines?

miss xandra bee

P.S. If nothing excites you like the Broadway stage, try my free Broadway Bootcamp confidence training!

30 May, 2014Filed in: Hatstall
Tagged With: Broadway

Goodnight, Laptop! My Daily Desktop De-Cluttering Routine

Goodnight, Laptop! My Daily Desktop De-Cluttering RoutineDoes your computer’s desktop ever look like this, only less poetic and Parisian? [That’s from Shakespeare & Co, one of the coolest bookstores ever. Spot the sheep.].

Somehow, by the end of each day, my desktop is a mess of dragged-and-dropped files, and just glancing at it gives me a headache.

So before I go to bed, I tidy it up. I drag files where they need to go, or drop them in the bin. I leave only one column of folders and files:

Goodnight, Laptop! My Daily Desktop De-Cluttering RoutineMuch prettier!

Does digital clutter affect you? What are your de-cluttering strategies? If you’re hankering for more, Kristin has an awesome series on Digital Detox!

miss xandra bee

P.S. Inbox Zero: How to Manage Email So It Doesn’t Consume Your Life

28 May, 2014Filed in: Hatstall

Mini Adventure: NorCal

palo-altoI’ve seen the Bay Area in bursts, since Sister goes to Stanford. This weekend, Mama and I flew out to surprise her with a birthday trip to Disneyland, which meant another quick stop in Palo Alto.

8:30am We got up and walked part of The Dish, Stanford’s famous steep, scenic footpath ^. When given a choice of activities, I will always go for the outdoorsy ones, especially in Nor Cal. [Recently I learned that the locals call them NorCal and SoCal.].

10am We pick up Sister for a quick breakfast at Coupa Café. They do the best iced chai ^.

12:45pm After checking out of the hotel, we walk around Memorial Church. Except the students call it MemChu. Apparently they abbreviate everything. [If my Exeter were at Stanford, would it be called ExCol?] There are also Rodin sculptures of The Burghers of Calais ^. 

1:30pm For lunch we eat at The Treehouse, but first I make a stop next door at CoHo (“Coffee House”. See?) to pay homage to Yul Kwon, master Survivor strategist and Stanford grad. He’s among the celebrity grads whose caricatures decorate the wall.

2pm We pick up Sister again and drive to Town & Country, home to wonders such as Kara’s Cupcakes and Books Inc.. Today we stop at Tin Pot Creamery because it’s some of the best ice cream ^ ever. Afterwards, it’s Disney songs all the way to SFO International.

Defining the morning as a ‘mini adventure’ set the perfect balance: doing something interesting on a day that would otherwise be filler before flying off to the real adventure, but without the pressure to be too spectacular. I crossed some Stanford sites off my to-see list while visiting some old favourites along the way.  

miss xandra bee

> monday mini adventures: making the most of one’s surroundings through conscious exploration and appreciation 

26 May, 2014Filed in: Hatstall

Sunday Sampling: Disney Princesses & Productivity

sunday-sampling

♡ What all adventurous expats have in common: my favorite Laughing Medusa post yet. 

♡ Leo Babauta, on what to do with your life: seriously, he always has the best advice.

♡ Archetypes of Disney Princesses: This whole site is interesting, but of course I love the Disney article especially. According to their [extensive] quiz, I’m 54% Creative/Tiana, 29% Visionary/Mulan, and 17% Caregiver/Snow White.

♡ Productivity tips from Mark Zuckerberg and other prominent leader-types. 

♡ Do you Abandon Books? Amy’s rules on when to stick it out.

♡ 5 Easy Ways to Blog Consistently. Great tips!

♡ This gorgeous picture [source]:

running-pink-tutu

What do you think? Happy Sunday!

miss xandra bee

25 May, 2014Filed in: Hatstall

Healthy Food Fit for a Heroine

Healthy Food Fit for a Heroine

We all want to be healthier. Vaguely. But how to make that happen? Here are some sneaky places for inserting greens!

Healthy Food Fit for a Heroine

♡ Delicious salad. I don’t love raw kale, but dressed with olive oil, lemon, and nutritional yeast with tasty seasonings and toppings, it’s quite yum. Try Angela Liddon‘s recipes; they’re amazing and accessible!

♡ Green smoothies. I love almond or soy milk-based smoothies for sneaking in a couple of kale or spinach leaves, made tasty with a banana and other fruits! I also love green juices, but don’t have a juicer at home.

♡ Burger and pizza toppings. Spinach is particularly delicious on pizza. Whenever you’re piling on toppings, slip in something green!

♡ Kale chips. These take some tweaking and getting used to, but seasoned and baked right, they are scrumptious. I suggest smoked paprika.

♡ Full English breakfast. Fry up some spinach, and don’t skimp – it shrivels up a lot! Tastes delicious alongside chopped mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers with the English breakfast staple, baked beans.

♡ Inside your head. Change your frame of mind: instead of begrudgingly swallowing spinach, embrace how green veggies make you look and feel good: good for skin, energy, vision (I notice a difference, at least!), and for preventing disease. What’s not to love?

Healthy Food Fit for a Heroine

For more healthy hints, listen to this week’s episode of FabulosiTEA: Eating Your Greens, Made Glamourous. [Here for iTunes!]

How do you sneak in greens?

miss xandra bee

P.S. my Simple Guide to Dairy-Free Goodies

23 May, 2014Filed in: Hatstall

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