Your skin is so glowy, what’s your secret?

Awh thank you! I think it's a combo of hydration and oils. Some of my regularly used products include: Josie Maran's Argan Cleansing Oil, Josie Maran's Argan Oil Light, and straight up organic shea butter. I also use a humidifier at night. I think hydrated skin is happy skin. For more skin stuff, check out the blog and my instagram profile. I share my favorite products on my feed, in stories, in guides, and then do skincare videos on IGTV occasionally.

I've been experimenting with dōTerra essential oils on my face, as well. I love a drop of Myrrh and Frankincense, or Lavender, or Geranium with a carrier oil/mixed in shea butter. There are so many amazing and powerful essential oils that enhance the skin.

If you struggle with skin problems or regularly experience acne or redness, try eliminating dairy - it can be inflammatory - and our skin often displays inflammation. What a pain, I know! Boursin cheese is one of my favorite things... like ever!

What’s your favorite clean makeup brand?

Hands down, it's Lawless Beauty.

Here are a few of my favorite products from their incredible and totally clean line:

Eyes: Little One Palette (this is such an easy palette for every day - it has all the right colors and is definitely heavy on my rotation) & Baby One Palette (this is flattering on both warm and cool skin tones - its ridiculously gorgeous and is even prettier on than it is to look at). I also really love The One Palette.

Lips: Suede lipstick in Fawn, lipgloss in Manuka, or the liquid lipstick George.

Cheeks: Blush - mix Sakura and Vintage Love or Angel Suede and Phoenix, and then highlight with Afternoon Delight.

Do you have any resources to help with Hashimoto’s?

In short, yes. I'm not an expert, but I will tell you what I've done that has made a big difference.

First, I am on 25 MG per day of Levothyroxine. My goal is to heal my body so that I no longer have to be on this medication.

These are other things I am doing that are helping immensely:

One. Hormone Replacement therapy - this is helping me to level out. I went through Renew Life RX. They are a telemedicine clinic so you can access their services from anywhere. I have felt a HUGE difference from hormone replacement therapy. If you contact them, tell them Jaclyn Steele sent you and ask for Ronnie Milo or Adam Lamb. I'm such a huge fan of them that I even had them on the podcast. You can listen to the episode on iTunes, Spotify, here, or here:

Two. Focusing on my gut health. So many of the ailments and diseases we are experiencing in modern day times originate in the gut. If our gut microbiome is off it can cause leaky gut and that's pretty much as bad as it sounds. So, I'm taking my gut health seriously by heavily decreasing (and initially eliminating) gluten and dairy, increasing fermented foods (sauerkraut, kombucha, etc.), and incorporating pre and probiotics into my routine.

Probiotic I take: Thorne FloraSport 20B

Gut Health Tonic I drink: Gut Connect 365 (I feel like this has helped with bloating a lot, too).

Books & Other Resources: here

Three. Essential Oils. I've been using essential oils for years but mostly just for fun and aromatherapy. Now, I'm looking at them from a totally different perspective - for their amazing healing powers.

I'm using a Butterfly Blend twice everyday made from oils from dōTerra. If you have questions about this or the specific list of oils, feel free to email me at hello@jaclynsteele.com.

Why does inner healing seem to take forever?

I did a whole podcast episode on this. Episode 6 to be specific. You can listen to it on iTunes, Spotify, here, or here:

What if self discovery scares you?

I so get this. The process of becoming self aware can feel like the ground is shifting beneath you. You are not alone in that. However, self discovery actually makes life easier. When we know who we are and what we want, living and making decisions becomes a whole lot easier.

I did a podcast episode on this - Episode 8. You can listen to it on iTunes, Spotify, here, or here:

Where do I start with self discovery?

I love this question! Of course, I'm going to recommend my podcast, Self Discovery, but I would also say, start with journaling.

The reason I love journaling so much is that it gives us a baseline for where we are. This is fantastic when looking back because you can see how very far you have come. It's also integral in pinpointing and identifying your feelings. Self discovery is all about getting honest with yourself - where you are, who you are, what you are feeling, where you want to go - journaling helps to peel back all of these layers.

Journaling has been the biggest catalyst in my journey of self discovery.

Just start and don't judge yourself. Also, if you want the most beautiful journal ever, check out Rustico.com and use Code: JACLYN for 15% off.

Any productivity tips?

Oh yes!

One. Get the Savor Life Planner here. It's all about productivity AND self care. Also, this short episode from the Skinny Confidential Podcast is great for creating clarity in the AM - Lauryn's Day Planner Tips.

Two. I also love Danielle la Porte's Desire Map Calendar. I've used it for years.

Three. I'm also a huge fan of timing myself. I have a task and set a timer and zone everything else out - you would be amazed at how much you can do when you aren't constantly distracted. This is my little strawberry timer. Also, this meditation from Vanessa Loder on the Insight Timer app is AWESOME!

One more thing, be kind to yourself. I think being really productive is a holistic thing - we need to sleep, eat well, exercise, take care of ourselves emotionally, etc. If we are in emotional pain or in a place of trauma, trying to get productive is really hard. Don't beat yourself up if you are in a season of life that is not super productive. Just because you aren't producing doesn't mean you aren't doing important work. Winter is required in order for Spring to take place.

I want to start meditating but I don’t know where to start…

YES! Meditation is such a huge part of my life and one of the most integral parts of my mental health routine.

I'm personally a guided meditation kind of gal. My favorite meditation app (I've tried quite a few) is Insight Timer. It's amazing. If you don't know where to start within the app, search "Sarah Blondin." Her meditations are heavenly. Seriously. Do it and let me know what you think by shooting me a DM on insta: @jaclynsteele.

Also, find me on Insight Timer under "Jaclyn Steele" - we can meditate together!

What are your favorite workouts right now?

Working out helps us to look good - I love that, but what I love even more is that working out helps me to de-stress! It makes me feel so good inside and out, so when I'm just not in the mood, I try and focus on how good I'm going to feel after I'm finished.

Workouts I love and do regularly:

One. Melissa Wood Health. Her app is awesome!

Two. Yoga Glo. I'm such a yogi at heart. I prefer being in a studio setting, but in times such as these, this app brings yoga to wherever you are, safely.

Three. P.volve. This is like a pilates, yoga, calisthenics fusion program. It's great for toning and core strength.

I like to keep things simple. My goal is to move my body for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week.

What brand is your yoga mat?

I absolutely love the Ayurvedic dyed, sustainable, and eco-friendly yoga mats from Oko Living.

My OG favorite sticky mat is from B Yoga.

I have sweaty palms when I work out and both of these mats are great for holding postures with slippery hands.

What are some of your fav. style brands?

Love this question. I've recently started getting really conscious about where I'm spending my money when it comes to fashion. We can vote with our dollars.

For these reasons I love:

BAGS:

Parker Clay - they make AMAZING leather bags while simultaneously providing fair paying jobs and education to Ethiopian workers - many of whom were formerly in the sex trade because of a lack of fair paying jobs in their country. If you want 20% off of anything in their incredible online store use Code: PC-JACLYN20.

CLOTHING:

Everlane - they are all about transparency and sustainable practices. They also team up with different causes and make donations from sales profits throughout the year. I think the last one they did was with Oceana. They also have great shoes!

Madewell - I love their jeans and have for years. They are also part of the 15% pledge and do some cool sustainable stuff with jeans, as well.

Also, check out the 15% Pledge. They are dedicated to getting major retailers to reserve 15% of their shelves for products from black-owned businesses. Their instagram account is a great resource, too.

How long have you been married?

Since July 31st of 2010!

What are your favorite podcasts?

In no particular order, I regularly listen to these:

French Kiss Life

The Skinny Confidential

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

The Daily

The Darin Olien Show

Plantstrong

The Minimalists

The Dean Graziosi Show

Practice You with Elena Brower

Favorite night time moisturizer?

I am LOVING the Farmacy Honey Halo moisturizer. It's so buttery soft and soothing.

Favorite under eye cream?

Honestly, I'm still on the hunt for a holy grail under eye cream.

I do like Ole Henriksen's Banana Bright Eye Crèam and Honest's Deep Hydration Eye Cream though. Both are very good.

I know you love superfood coffee – what is your favorite brand again?

Yes. My favorite is the mushroom superfood coffee from Ryze. It's smooth and delicious and you can drink it on it's own, or add it to your regular coffee as a booster (if you do that, maybe decrease the amount of coffee grounds you use since Ryze has about a half cup of coffee's worth of caffeine in it).

I drink it on it's own with some chocolate collagen protein or I drink it mixed with my regular coffee (just less grounds as I'm brewing so I'm not bouncing off the f-ing walls) and add collagen and whatever creamer I'm using - usually a non-dairy type.

The great thing about Ryze is that it's packed full of nutrients AND it just gets more and more effective the longer you use it. Everyone I've given it to loves it.

Buy it here and get 20% or use Code: JACLYN at checkout for 15% off. 🙂

Favorite natural deodorant?

I've tried SO MANY. I've even experimented with making my own - which worked really well until the baking soda started burning the fuck out of my armpits.

I've been using Kopari's Coconut Deodorant for about 3 years now, though, and I LOVE it. It smells AMAZING.

Favorite daily vitamin for women?

I love Ritual. Most vitamins in the past made me nauseous. One even made me throw up, but Ritual is amazing. Their regular and prenatal vitamins are incredible and, I believe, ethically sourced. The regular women's daily has a refreshing lemony taste and the prenatal is pepperminty. I love it! Get 10% off your first 3 months, with code: JACLYNSTEELE at checkout.