It’s good to be back!

Feb 24

Hello!

Long time no see! A little over 2 years ago I wrote my epic “Farewell to Chrystina Noel” blog post. It was the right decision for where I was in life at that point. (Can we blame Saturn’s return?)

A place on the internet talking about hosting parties, handmade greeting cards, and how to stay in touch with people didn’t feel true to who I was - or at least who I was becoming, and I couldn’t figure out how to rebrand to something that felt like me.

After some time away, I finally realized what these three things had in common. (It was not the “modern Martha” concept that I was originally trying to make happen.) It’s that all of these things have to do with community building. These feels much more like me and much more like a good combination of my personal and professional lives.

So here we are, with Chrystina Noel 2.0 RE: community building.

I spent a few weeks migrating over content from the old site and designing some new pages. The migration is far from over, but it’s time to officially roll out the red carpet (well, yellow carpet actually) to see how it goes.

Check out the new site!

My New Site!

It was amazing to see all my content from all over the internet come together. (Would you believe I was managing three different sites?)

My favorite new pages of the site are:

Things I’m Working On Podcast

Speaking of podcasts, you will all be excited to know that Season 2 of the Things I’m Working On podcast launches today. We’ve got a great season lined up for you, and I’m excited to launch the first four episodes over the next two months.

In case you need a recap, Things I’m Working On is a podcast that is part journal, part conversation starter, about how to be just a little better than we are right now focusing on topics ranging from professional development to personality tests to financial planning.

Episode 1: A 2020 Recap and Season 2 Kick-Off
A solo episode where I talk about what happened in my personal life in 2020, goal setting, and plans for the season.
Launch Date: February 24, 2021 (TODAY!)
Episode 2: Estate Planning 101
An interview episode with estate planning and probate attorney, Jen Gumbel, from An Organized (after)Life about what you can do now to make someone else’s to do list if you die a little bit easier. (It’s not as morbid as it sounds, just two ladies talking logistics.)
Launch Date: March 10, 2021
Episode 3: Merging Financial Lives Together
An interview episode with certfied financial planner professional Beth D’Andrea from PlumTree Financial Planning about the financial questions you should be discussing with your partner if you are getting married.
Launch Date: March 24, 2021
Episode 4: Prenuptial Agreements 101
An interview episode with divorce lawyer and family law attorney, Mindy Previtera, from Petrelli Previtera law firm in Philadelphia, PA.
Launch Date: April 7, 2021

Be on the lookout for these new episodes, I’m so excited to share them with you as I learn more about this journey towards becoming a married woman.

Things to Check Out:

Here are just a few resources from around the internet I’ve loved in the past few weeks related to community building & personal development:

Episodes 75 and 76 of the Today By The Way podcast where Indiana Adams talks about what to do when a friendship is hard.
Episode 612 of the How to Be Awesome At Your Job podcast that talks about how to find the perfect career-fit using an analytical approach.
This quote about laughter by Sophie Scott.
“Laughter is an ancient evolutionary system that mammals have evolved to make and maintain social bonds and regulate emotions.”
I received one of these stamped spoons from Rebekah’s Valentine this week from a friend in the mail and love it. I feel so seen and loved!
(The spoon I received says “Tea is Life” - because it is.)
The entire podcast series of Together Apart by Priya Parker, which I binged fairly quickly. She talks about how to gather together even while we have to remain apart.
The concept of doing a “shopping ban” as inspired by Cait Flanders who wrote The Year of Less.
I’ve created a Spotify playlist from my favorite Pandora playlist, which I call “mornings” based on Chantal Kreviazuk. (This feels very meta.) Think every rom-com from the 90s. If you like female singer-songwriter-style songs, this playlist is for you.

Thanks so much for reading. I’m so excited to have a space to continue sharing content with all of you. (As you can tell, I listen to a lot of podcast episodes, I need some place to share all the greatest hits.)

And please, if you think they would like it, consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend.

xo Chrystina