After a tumultuous first year of college (I almost dropped out after first semester) and a very long and much-needed break from YouTube, I'm back and ready to spill all of the tea on the good, the bad, and the ugly of my first year studying Digital Media & Communications at IE University. ⭑ TIMESTAMPS ⭑ 0:00 I’m back! 2:51 Where I study & my degree program 5:45 Why I chose IE University 13:28 Reviewing my 1st semester classes 26:14 Reviewing my 2nd semester classes 32:26 How...

I’ve finally found a study system that works for me (more or less). Find out what note taking method I settled on (the eternal battle of paper vs. digital), how I’ve been implementing active recall techniques, and my (very) honest ratings of each of my classes. how I’ve been taking notes (2:20) how I’ve been managing my time (12:18) how I’ve been studying (15:21) college expectations vs reality (20:03) my classes (27:23) To find links to everything we mentioned, and to sign up for weekly...

The “regular rules” of productivity don’t always apply to creative fields. How do you deal with creative burnout, for example? I had a chat with my friend Christina Mathis about art, creative direction, and organizing photoshoots on a budget. how her creative processes / ideas start (3:40) photography challenges & how to make something look expensive on a budget (6:50) planning vs improvisation (8:03) artistic & editing styles (14:57) her dream creative direction project...

A few weeks into my new life studying at a Spanish University, I'm ready to spill some tea on the cultural differences, struggles of making friends, and why the heck I even decided to go to college if I already have my YouTube channel. Buckle up for a long episode where I answer all of your questions about college life and studying internationally! faq is it difficult to study in another language? (1:40) why I chose to study in Segovia (3:05) did I ever consider college in Lithuania (where...

They say that the music of your teens stays with you for life. I traveled back in time to middle school to chart my "musical journey" from SoundCloud EDM music and Twenty One Pilots to BTS and Grimes. In this podcast I talked about: Pre-order bonuses for the book (limited time!) (0:21) The music of our adolescence (4:47) Petit Biscuit & middle school EDM phase (5:51) Soundcloud music discoveries & first concert (9:57) My Twenty One Pilots phase (20:27) Joining the BTS ARMY...

For those with a menstrual cycle, trying to be equally productive every single day just doesn't work. Today we're discussing a fantastic book called Period Power by Maisie Hill which goes over how your menstrual cycle affects everything from your sleep and exercise routines to your social life and productivity levels. In this podcast I talked about: when & why he started his YouTube channel (0:29) why I lost my period for 1.5 years (4:17) how I learned about cycle syncing (8:30) the...

In this episode we're going down memory lane (not that far, just a few years back) to recount my first solo travel experiences. I'm also dishing out my best travel advice for planning a spectacular trip, packing your bags efficiently, and having fun the whole time! This was recorded in an AirBnB in Porto, which fits the topic perfectly! In this episode I covered: announcing the dream team! (1:02) my travel “background” (2:57) my first solo trip (5:25) my big gap year trip & how to...

Two months ago, I hired a virtual assistant - the very first addition to the Bliss Bean team. Together, we’re answering all of your questions about the hiring process, our workflow, and all of the behind-the-scenes of running a content creation business. Here's what we talked about: why I hired & hiring process (1:37) my feelings on outsourcing (9:06) tasks Maia works on (11:07) working with an agency & BTS of negotiating sponsorships (21:30) our workflow together (29:47) how our...

What happens when you decide to quit your dream job since childhood? I talked to Esther Fung about her teaching experience, why she left her job as a middle school teacher, and insights from working with kids. We talked about: her experience studying to become a teacher & expectations (0:59) the differences between public and private school (3:02) insights on teaching middle schoolers (6:27) moments when her students made her proud (8:26) how Esther, her students, and parents coped with...

I know it seems impossible that it's already June, but it's time to review the first 6 months of 2021. In this episode we'll go on a little tour through my personal mid-year review in all areas of my life, all the way from exciting areas like work (hiring a virtual assistant and creating a new course!) to slightly less exciting ones, like romantic relationships (insert sad trombone sound), lol. Here are the timestamps: my wins and accomplishments: dealing with depressive slumps...

I stumbled upon some awful "influencer gossip" forums and have a few things to say. Reading through those threads makes me anxious, but I wanted to analyze this weird phenomenon of bitter people taking the time to form entire discussions centered around picking apart the lives of people on the internet (people who are often CHILDREN, mind you!). Here are the timestamps! life update & plans for the future of this podcast (0:31) my positive experience with the internet (so far)...

I've shared openly on my YouTube channel and podcast that I'm an introvert, and it seems like many in my audience identify as introverts as well. In this podcast I considered a few definitions of introversion, which of the traits of "introversion" apply to me, and the theory that introverts tend to talk a lot more about their introversion than extroverts talk about their extroversion... The irony of an introvert talking at length about how introverts talk a lot about introversion is not lost...

And we're back! Today I have a chatty solo episode, answering some of your questions that got cut for time from the Q&A video. Here are the timestamps! let’s catch up & the future of this podcast (00:14) how do you make your videos aesthetically pleasing? (02:46) my camera equipment journey (03:19) how I colorgrade (07:40) shot composition and making videos magical (08:39) have i ever visited california? (11:53) things i'd tell my younger self (13:17) things i'd tell my older self...

After getting all sorts of results on different MBTI tests (ISFJ on one, ESTJ on another...), I talked to my friend Madelyn today to understand why the 16personalities.com test is not accurate, what cognitive functions are, and how NOT to interpret the results of the test. I took the test live and finally figured out what I think is a quite accurate type for me! We talked about: what's wrong with the 16personalities test (1:17) results I've gotten in the past and Madelyn's prediction for me...

What's it like to study abroad in Berlin? Today I talked to Zelle Lee from @fragilemyths about learning languages, moving to a new country, and all things content creation. I, of course, also had to ask her some interior design questions because she has the most BEAUTIFUL apartment. Zelle's Instagram always reminds me to appreciate the beautiful little daily moments, and I hope that this episode does the same for you! We talked about: why she started studying German and decided to study...

If only there was a guidebook for your 20s... but Ama's podcast comes pretty close! In this episode, I got to talk (and laugh a lot) with Ama Appiah, the creator of The Bonnet Talks podcast (and fellow ARMY), about what she's learned through interviewing tons of people around the world about the twenty-something experience. On this episode we talked about: how she grew a One Direction update account to 67,000 followers, an international team, and followers like iHeartRadio and Yahoo News UK...

It turns out there's a lot more to yoga than just the poses that we do on a yoga mat! I got to talk to Cassidy Cooper, a certified yoga instructor, and learned that the movement and postures that most of think of when we think of yoga, are just one of the 8 limbs of yoga! We talked about how you can practice yoga "off the mat", accessibility and body positivity in yoga, and how Cassidy started her online yoga business. Timestamps: how Cassidy's interest in yoga was sparked (1:37) what doing...

Anyone else hitting the "pandemic wall"? A few things (okay, one MAIN thing) have been helping me to get through it, and I wanted to record a solo episode to talk about the strategies that have been super effective for me lately and give you some ideas for things you can implement yourself. I talked about: how I’ve been doing & feeling (2:02) having a difficult conversation with my dad (6:40) how having an accountability buddy has changed the game for me (13:00) “breaking up” with my...

Having graduated from high school a year early, Jada Jones had the opportunity to move to New York City on her own to work as a nanny and pursue her acting career... at AGE 17! Solo travel can be a scary (but incredibly rewarding) part of a gap year, and on this episode, Jada and I talked about how you have to dive headfirst into these opportunities, trust the process, and learn as you go. We covered: how & why Jada graduated from her performing arts high school early (1:11) taking the...

So far on her gap year, Noémie Clemons has become a certified yoga teacher and ski instructor, taken a business course, and gotten a job at a bakery... and none of this was in her original gap year plan. Noémie is such a wonderfully positive person and I loved talking to her about how, after her impressive travel plans were shattered by the pandemic, she picked up the pieces to design a new gap year that was just as rewarding and fulfilling. Be sure to check out Gap Year Exploration Month at...

It's Gap Year Exploration Month 2021! Today I interviewed Viola Helen, a University of Oxford graduate and avid traveler currently living in Portugal. We'll talk about how an unexpected twist of events led to her becoming a Portuguese resident, as well as her post-high school gap year experience backpacking through Australia and teaching English in China. Be sure to check out Gap Year Exploration Month at www.instagram.com/gapyearassociation. On this episode we talked about: being the only...

Many students, parents, and educators alike have pointed out the problems with the higher education system, but Michelle Jones decided to do something about it. She started her own college in Portland, OR called Wayfinding Academy. On this episode we talked about: how her years as a professor showed her the problems in higher education (1:01) getting rid of grades and tests in favor of a student-driven curriculum (4:20) the first steps in creating Wayfinding Academy (8:36) transparency in...

(trigger warning: talking about disordered eating from 36:40 to 43:35) Today I had my friend Niko on the show to talk about our 2021 personal goals and bucket lists! We talked all about our love for language learning, who's going to read more books in 2021 (game on), and how we feel about online dating. Full timestamps: how Niko and I met while traveling (0:59) language learning goals (4:34) how many books we want to read in 2021 (12:32) learning about personality types (15:18) dating in...

2020 was the year that changed my life. In this solo episode I wanted to chat about how YouTube went from a side project to my full-time job quite suddenly this year, what I've learned from that experience, and what my goals for The Bliss Bean are for 2021 (scary, exciting steps to take!!). what changed in my life & stayed the same in 2020 (0:56) how my channel grew over the course of 2020 (2:05) why it's hard for me to introduce myself as a "YouTuber" (5:20) the video that changed...