Hi! I’m Alexis. I’m originally from Oakland, CA (and I love the Bay Area) though I’m currently based in DC. I started Live Hella Well because I wanted to create a wellness blog that’s different from the ones pitching perfect days and flawless morning routines.

Yes, I may post something about the refreshing energy of a day outdoors with a photo of streaming sunlight (don’t leave just yet), but I’m also equally likely to post about being exhausted and getting through a long day without enough sleep and tons of coffee.

Because here’s the thing, I’m out here—like many people I know—trying to get well and stay well. And I want to connect with people doing the same. But I don’t have the secret, and my mornings certainly aren’t flawless.

However, as I intentionally make moves towards wellness, I want to share what I learn. It may get messy and might be meandering but it’s purposeful and I’m getting there. Join me.

As I mentioned, I’m from the Bay and I love the Bay. That’ll come up again and again...and probably again. Right now I’m bringing it up to say that the name of this blog, Live Hella Well, is authentically me. I’ve said hella since I graduated from saying “hecka” at 13-years old. Now as a 30-something I still say hella, especially when I'm home with friends and family. It’s the best way to emphasize any point. Are you mad at someone?  You’re hella mad. Your friend did something great and you want to tell her? “I’m hella proud of you.” And on. So, I’m exploring wellness. I’m trying to live hella well—and I want you to live hella well also.

How’d this start? After years of being not-so-great to my body and ignoring my mental and emotional health, I decided that I needed to figure out how to be better to myself. Because, honestly, my life depended on it.

During a decade of stress, I earned my PhD in a program where I studied gender, race, and social change. I researched and wrote about black women who created socially-conscious art to help build a better world. Ironically, while I was researching these women who prioritized caring for themselves and others, I was wildly neglecting my own care.

I pushed everything to the max. I stayed up all night to research, write, edit, and rewrite my dissertation, articles, and papers for classes. Some years, I also taught classes and worked in student affairs. I took odd jobs off-campus to make ends meet because graduate students are cheap labor for universities. In short, I did too much, regularly. (Side note: This isn’t a unique grad school experience. My thoughts on higher education and the industry of academia is a post for another day.)

To relax, I used any spare hours I had to go out and drink with friends til I dropped—day drinking, happy hours, wee hours, all the drinking hours. And then to recover from putting my liver and body through the wringer, I’d retreat to my bedroom to binge watch Netflix and sleep for several days. Rinse and repeat. Work, party, isolate. It wasn’t sustainable. I had more than a few major health issues and I was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. I thank God and everyone who supported me those years that I made it through.

After I graduated, I made the decision to leave academia. I deeply valued the research, writing, and teaching work I’d done but I didn’t feel the publish or perish ethos of many higher ed institutions was for me. So, in keeping with work around issues of race, gender and social change, I jumped headfirst into the nonprofit world. Another space that can quickly burn people out if they don’t take intentional time to care for themselves. I learned that my drive to do it all—all the work and all the partying—wasn’t confined to my time in graduate school. I realized it was on me to find ways to actively incorporate wellness and holistic living into my daily grind so I could stay healthy, live the life I wanted, and keep doing work that moves me.  

It’s been several years since I’ve started prioritizing wellness and while it’s an effort sometimes, it’s always worth it.  I’m constantly on the lookout for ways to build wellness and pay attention to what my mind, body, and soul needs. It might sound woo woo, but I promise it’s often more practical than not. From talking about mental health care to physical activity to transitioning to a plant-based diet to gratitude and mindfulness to meeting Oprah (yes, Oprah)—I’ll share what works and doesn’t work for me and what I’ve learned about maintaining wellness.

If you’re working on some of the same things as I am, or even just wondering about what wellness could mean for you, join me. Let’s Live Hella Well.