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karinahsieh_

The Power of Play. Recently, my friends and I disc

The Power of Play. Recently, my friends and I discussed taking ourselves too seriously and hitting burnout. We tell ourselves to get it together, to create more structure, be more focused, have greater goals. We’ve become rigid with work. But like Yin and Yang, we need balance too. What if, instead of more structure, we allow ourselves to fall… into our own arms, to play, dance, do something we love? What if we could revive ourselves with joy?

Sometimes, I’ll turn on some music in my apartment and just start dancing, any way I want. At first, my mind would criticize me, “What are you doing?!” What if someone sees you being ridiculous!” (I live across from several office buildings). So what? They would see someone happy, flowing with vitality. Maybe my joy could bring a smile to their face, inspire them to play and let go of their ego for a moment?

To play. It is so important! To laugh a deep belly laugh; to feel that giddiness from doing something purely because it brings you happiness. To stop being “productive” for a second, to be fully present, to soak up what it feels like to be alive in these beautiful vessels of ours. Sometimes as adults, we forget that we are truly kids at heart--we’ve starved ourselves of unbridled joy. I hope you’ll join me in playing a bit today, however the looks for you. Here’s to re-igniting our playful hearts✨🤪

📷: @eardogfoto

I used to walk fast, talk fast, eat fast to take u

I used to walk fast, talk fast, eat fast to take up as little space as possible. I thought I didn’t deserve to inhabit people’s time or space, and so I made myself small. I dimmed my own light to make myself palatable to others because I didn’t think I deserved love or was lovable being myself.

Over time, through backpacking and deep internal work, I discovered that I do deserve love. I deserve to take up space, to be my full self—to be unapologetically me. Yes, I may not be liked or palatable to everyone, but that’s not the point in life. I can’t water myself down to make others happy; they have to create their own happiness. I can do my best to be my best, highest self as often as possible (and be compassionate with myself when I’m not because I’m human after all), and enjoy the journey alongside them. But I can’t do the work for them. Plus, it is actually a gift when people self-select themselves out of my life because then I don’t need to expend energy on them. Our energy and time is so finite! I’d rather spend my time and energy on the people I love, who want to be around me and vice versa. If they’re meant to be in my life, they will be.

While I was cultivating my self-love, I practiced one technique that helped me expand myself. Every time I entered a doorway, I imagined there was a piece of string that attached the crown of my head to the ceiling. This image would help me stand taller, eyes alight, shoulders back, chest up, so I’d walk into the room with confidence, knowing I belonged there, just like everyone else. I began to walk and talk slower because I deserved to take up space. I reminded myself that I positively impact people and things around me. Over time, this doorway visualization became a habit. Now, I walk into most situations knowing I belong—I don’t need to apologize for my existence or my light.

You never need permission to be your true, complete self. But if you haven’t given yourself permission yet to be your true, best and brightest self, I hope you will now grant yourself that permission. You can be completely, unapologetically you. And YOU are such a beautiful gift to this world ✨💝

📷: @eardogfoto

Real talk. I’ve been in a big stress bubble rece

Real talk. I’ve been in a big stress bubble recently working on several creative endeavors, feeling siloed and alone in my own head. I have this story that I’m behind, that I’m not moving fast enough, that I need to get to my destinations sooner, but sometimes creativity (and life) has its own timeline. I’ve been stress eating, and today, I was the heaviest I’ve EVER been which caused its own stress spiral. I still have some shame around my stress eating and eating habits, because I consume SO much food. Ugh self-love is such a lifelong practice! Some days like today it’s extra tough, and I have to put in more effort to be compassionate with myself.

I’m sharing all of this with you because on social media, we usually see people’s best lives. Yes, I have a life I’m very grateful to have, but there is still darkness and struggles that each person is dealing with that we have no idea about. I want to be real with you and remind you that you are not alone in whatever you’re feeling 💝

I’ve been working with the amazing trainers @clara_laii and @jason_dvera to get stronger and leaner, but have been on hold the past few weeks while traveling. I’m doing the best I can in every moment and have to be gentle with myself, especially when I’m plateauing towards my goals. Things happen in their own time, and I’ll get back into my rhythm after I get back from traveling. I put so much pressure on myself that sometimes I have to remember that I am human. I can get fixated on the one area where I feel out of alignment and have to zoom out to see the big picture. 
Right now I’m reminding myself to breathe 😮‍💨. I took a mid-day workout break to de-stress, talked with the incredible @flashfong who calmed me down, and meditated. I hope you’re taking care of yourself and remembering that you’re doing the best you can in every moment. That is all you can ever ask for 🙏✨

📷: @eardogfoto

Repost from the extraordinary @eardogfoto 🥰🙏

I am overflowing with joy and gratitude that I’l

I am overflowing with joy and gratitude that I’ll be starting my Master’s in Marriage & Family Therapy at the Wright Institute this fall!! Thank you for all of my family and friends for your support—I seriously couldn’t have done this without you… this MA’s has been on the horizon for a while but it was never quite the right time until now. I’m excited to see what this next chapter brings: how I can better hold space for others and spread love in this world. Life is so beautiful!! Thank you @eardogfoto for capturing this moment 🥰

To all my healers out there working your magic 🙏✨

Still on a high from our Poetry Reading/Wine Tasti

Still on a high from our Poetry Reading/Wine Tasting event with Poetic Cellars! Thank you to all of our friends and family for trekking out to the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains (from as far as LA & Atlanta!!) for a magical afternoon with us sipping wine and soaking up music and poetry! This will be a day I’ll always cherish 🥰🙏

📷: @karmapictures

I had the complete privilege of being on my incred

I had the complete privilege of being on my incredible friend Lilian Wee’s podcast @heartopenconvers_asians which dropped its first episode of Season 2 today! Link in Bio and her intro below. I hope you enjoy it 🥰

“Karina is a Poet and Entrepreneur. She studied Psychology at Harvard and worked in Silicon Valley as a ‘Happiness Engineer’ before backpacking solo around the world for 1-1/2 years to cultivate her own self-love and compassion. It was in that time that she found herself chancing upon a version of herself that’s bursting with words and poetry, which led her to writing her first book of poetry, then leading a t-shirt campaign to raise awareness on #stopasianhate, and now passionately creating a whole world around her new project, Honeymourn. Her journey has been nothing short of synchronicities, those of which that showed up for her because she was brave enough to trust it and go for it without certainty of the outcome. Her kind, warm soul and spirit is one that leaves me in admiration and awe and one that I think we can all learn to lean into and allow a little more of in our lives.” - Lilian Wee

I’M FEATURED IN @Forbes TODAY 🥰😭🙏!!!!!

I’M FEATURED IN @Forbes TODAY 🥰😭🙏!!!!! (Link in bio)

Huge thank you to the incredible MeiMei Fox for writing this article on me, @generatelove.us, my backpacking journey, poetry and how to help others follow their hearts! It means a ton that you’re sharing our work with the world so that we can help our AAPI community and raise more funds for @ihollagram to stop harassment in all forms.

Feeling extremely grateful, humbled and excited all at the same time—that others would want to hear my story or find what I’ve done inspiring?!

If you have an idea, you can manifest it. We are powerful beyond measure. Everything you do has a ripple effect in the world, and you make a difference. YOU matter 💕

In light of the horrific violence against Asians d

In light of the horrific violence against Asians during an already traumatic pandemic, I’d like to gift you my poetry e-book, “Loving Yourself Into Being” to soothe your heart and mind, help you recharge and ground back into yourself. It’s free for the next 5 days (link in bio).

We want to not only #StopAsianHate, but also #GenerateLove, so giving you my book on love is the least I can do. I hope it can help you, and please feel free to share with your communities to spread the love. We need it now more than ever 🙏

Please stay safe, healthy and strong out there!

With Love,
Karina

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! I hope you’re enjoyin

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! I hope you’re enjoying this wonderful day celebrating Love, in whatever way suits you best. Sending you all big heart hugs. You are perfect, exactly as you are. You are worthy. You are loved. You are Love.

I had the privilege of taking over the IG stories of @savemycents, my incredible sister from college!!! Here are a few clips I’d like to share to help you fall deeper in love with yourself 🥰

* My thoughts on Valentine’s Day/self-love
* Reading some poems
* Sharing my audiobook recording process (yes there’s a reason I’m in my closet!)

Today is also the 1-year anniversary of my book, “Loving Yourself Into Being” and the launch week of my audiobook so I’m feeling extra excited about this special day of Love!

Thank you for being in my life 💓

Giveaway Time!!! 3 Winners! In collaboration with

Giveaway Time!!! 3 Winners!

In collaboration with @pear.life & @karinahsieh_

Two lucky winners will receive a signed copy of my poetry book, “Loving Yourself Into Being” & a set of Journal Inserts.

One lucky winner will be receiving all of the above PLUS the audiobook version & a Traveler’s Journal Starter Kit!

To enter, please do the following:

-Please follow both accounts.
-Tag your friends (1 tag per comment).
-Save this post.
-Share the giveaway to your IG story and tag both accounts!

-Giveaway deadline is 2/14
-Winners will be announced on our Instagram story and will be notified through a DM.
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Good luck, Explorers!

I was moved to tears by my extraordinary friend @j

Today is a momentous day as my audiobook, “Lovin

Today is a momentous day as my audiobook, “Loving Yourself Into Being” is finally available on Audible, Amazon & iTunes (link in bio)!!! This labor of love truly started 3 years ago when my first poems came to me. I never thought I’d create and narrate my own audiobook, as I had no knowledge/experience in the field (me as a Psych Major turned Happiness Engineer turned Solo Backpacker… who was I to think I could write, publish, record/narrate a book/audiobook?!). But after publishing my poetry book last Valentine’s Day, many people encouraged me to record my poems as another way to breathe life into them.

So I plunged into the deep end, turned my closet into a recording studio, worked with a fantastic sound engineer, Ray Hartman, who helped make my audio more professional (thank you @corwincantdance for connecting me!), and ultimately edited the audio for another 80-100 hours to get it right. I wanted to share my journey in case it could spark you to do something you’ve always dreamed of or thought you couldn’t do! And if you’ve ever thought about creating an audiobook, I’d be happy to share any tips I’ve learned or connect you with my sound engineer.

I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your thoughts! It’s a very different experience than the visual versions as apparently there’s a magical aspect that comes along with my voice 🥰. I feel so fortunate that I get to accompany people in their self-love and compassion journeys through life.

Thank you for being in my life, and for all of your encouragement and support through this process! I could not have done this without you. Here’s to expanding and loving ourselves into being!

With Love and Gratitude,
Karina

I wrote this poem, “The Weight of Love” while

I wrote this poem, “The Weight of Love” while I was struggling to process my grandmother’s desire to leave this world. She was becoming more and more isolated from others with her hearing loss and was grappling with the breakdown of her body, which has always been so strong, healthy and athletic. Lao Lao, I am so grateful you are now weightless 🙏💓

I had the privilege of being on the @will.and.lee.

I had the privilege of being on the @will.and.lee.show this past week (full podcast link in bio)! We covered a range of topics around self-love including:
* My eating disorder in college & how to change one's relationship with food/practice self-compassion (12:46)
* Preparing to travel solo & Safe & Solo (21:00)
* Practicing being alone to deepen self-love (26:27)
* Connecting with your inspiration, spirit guides to create and know when things are complete (37:19)
* My Morning self love ritual (59:30)
* “We’re human beings, not human doings.” (61:10)

You can hop to these parts to hear my poetry:
* “Self-Love Earplugs” (41:49)
* “Ice Skater” and what I see when I write (45:10)
* Background and reading of “Holding Up The Sky” (50:20)
* “Transit Sunsets” and noticing miracles hiding in plain sight (Will loses his mind over a hyphen)(55:16)

Hope you enjoy this podcast!
ALSO, for a limited time (through Oct 25th, 2020), you can download my poetry e-book, Loving Yourself Into Being for FREE on Amazon (link in bio)!

Shoutout to @huesdrawn for your beautiful website/show notes! And thanks again, @leechang83 & @willyuwaychang for having me on your show!

Hey friends, I’m giving away my poetry e-book,

Hey friends,
I’m giving away my poetry e-book, “Loving Yourself Into Being”, for FREE for 5 days (link in bio. Longer story below)!!! In these crazy times, we need love and compassion even more, so I wanted to make my book more accessible. I hope you enjoy it, share it with your friends and family, and let me know what you think! If you like it, I’d be extremely grateful if you would write an Amazon review for me afterwards 🥰. Thank you so much 💓

*****

This past weekend, I attended an incredible, virtual 3-day conference where I re-aligned with my mission: to help others cultivate their self-love and compassion.

I realized in this conference that:
1. I had this limiting belief that I was unworthy of other people’s time or attention, that asking for reviews would be “too much” or that I’d be perceived as “needing attention” or, again, “too much” if I promoted my poetry book.
2. I was planning on going to grad school next year to become a Marriage and Family Therapist because it was a secure and stable path that allowed me to hide behind a career and write on the side instead of doing what truly inspires me which is to share about self-love and help others love themselves and other deeper!

As a result of these breakthroughs, I’ve decided to shatter my limiting beliefs and dive 100% into creating my self-love platform which will include sharing my poetry book, speaking, coaching, writing and more! It’s honestly very scary but exciting, and I’ve never felt more alive!! I felt inspired to share my poetry book this week with you all so that we can spread even more love in this world. Thank you for being in my life and a part of this amazing adventure💓

I had the privilege of being on iHeartRadio’s “The Kevin & Nikee Show” with the extraordinary hosts, @actorkevindbenton and @helloimnikee!! They just aired my podcast with them about my solo backpacking adventures, poetry book “Loving Yourself Into Being”, being Jackie Chan’s personal assistant, Safe & Solo, and so much more! I hope you enjoy it. Link in bio—I start around 36 minutes in 🙂.

Huge shoutout to @diana.weng.35 for connecting us!! And thank you, Kevin & Nikee for being such kind, warm and fun hosts to connect with!!

Reading “Edge Thoughts” from my poetry book, “Loving Yourself Into Being” that I wrote sitting on this ledge at Cathedral Rock 2 years ago 💓

Best quarantine birthday ever 🥰 Thank you all f

Best quarantine birthday ever 🥰
Thank you all for your love!!!
📷: @gloriayzhu

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