About the Founder:

Born and raised in Portugal and living in NYC since 2013, Marcia is a Woman, an Architect, a Designer, a Wellness Coach (and even a DJ on her spare time), whose passion for Retail Interior Design led her to become a Sales Manager for different European Furniture Retailers, and whose life experience had guided her to become a Holistic Nutrition Coach and Feng Shui Consultant. She is what she likes to call as an "Inside Architect".

Trick or Treat!

Hi Reader,

Halloween is here, and it's marking the start of another "holiday season"... I mean, it all starts here right?... I can already predict that pretty soon we're going to start hearing those songs that are so familiar in this season, everywhere! Especially because the previous year, we were still in that lockdown mode and now everyone wants to get a head start. And I'm sure you also heard about the delays in the US ports - wether this is affecting your business or not, the fact is: people will start shopping for the holidays earlier.

But first, let's start with trick or treat! And explore what it could mean to treat yourself nicely.

dog with a spider halloween costume — One of the best Halloween costumes i personally saw on NYC streets

I'm dedicating this newsletter to all things connected to what's impacting our season, including healthier habits you can create. You're not too far from starting to think about your New Year's resolutions, after all...

As always you can keep in touch by emailing me at info@2beinsidesign.com

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Is the backlog in the US ports really going to impact the Holidays?

A recent article on Forbes reads: "From Supply Chain Woes To Shipping Delays: Is It Worth It To Holiday Shop Right Now?"

Shopping Online? Expect Shipping Delays

"If you’ve received an email from one of your favorite shops warning you of likely shipping delays this holiday season, pay close heed. They’re not exaggerating.

FedEx is dealing with staffing shortages at some of its shipping hubs, to the point where it has had to divert packages onto other routes that may take longer. And a UPS executive warned that if you don’t purchase Christmas gifts now, they may not arrive until the spring.

Meanwhile, The U.S. Postal Service began its planned cost-cutting measure of slowing down mail service in October, though the delays will primarily affect first-class mail (letters and lightweight packages). USPS is also raising prices for some package delivery services like priority mail and Parcel Select Ground. It’s a temporary price increase from Oct. 3 and through Dec. 26." Via Forbes

If you're paying attention, in the past weeks, a lot has been said about what's going on in our ports. One can see the amount of containers piling up in the Savanah port. And Hong Kong is not able to send their merchadise in time for the holidays, due to the backlog in the US ports.

This is causing a big disruption in the furniture industry as well... If you ordered furniture recently, I am sure you have noticed the delays, even if it's something that is supposed to be "in stock", as all the stock levels have been impacted by this. Basically if your furniture is coming from anywhere outside of the US, it will have to deal with the mess in the ports...

After such a deserved break that we gave to our planet, once we started to get out of lockdown, the increase in demand has been extenuating the supply chain all over, with the US being one of the countries with more issues. Regardless of the political/economic discussion being held here, I believe people's habits have changed (mine inclusive) so we are now shopping more online than ever, and the reality is that most these products come from China. Companies like Amazon and even Apple are already facing major problems, which showed in their most recent quarterly results.

Bloomberg

@business

Apple and Amazon report disappointing quarterly results in a sign that the global supply-chain crisis is hobbling even the mightiest companies  trib.al/ruzOfB9

Apple, Amazon Results Spark Fears of an Unhappy ...

Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. reported disappointing quarterly results in a sign that the global su...

trib.al

October 28th 2021

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Again, as we are coming out of a pandemic, I would say that I am happy to gather around more people this year, for Christmas. And that for me, is enough!

Maybe this crazy supply chain problem can be an awakening to let people see the bigger picture. Last year, we barely could have a dinner around the table with more than 6 people! So I say - as long as this backlog doesn't impact your food on the table, then I'm sure you can agree with me that you're GOOD. And that doesn't mean you'll have an "un-happy" Holiday season as this article on Bloomberg anticipates.

If I can suggest something, is that maybe it's time to rewrite how we celebrate these Holidays and rethink how we can make them fun anyway. Rethink about what really matters - is it the people, or the "things"?

What do you think of the "resimercial" trend? Via The Atlantic

I wrote about the hybrid work trend as something emerging from this pandemic on my last Newsletter edition. But another trend has been growing, which is - offices that look like home. In this "Resimercial: The Terrible Word for Today’s Trendy Office Aesthetic" article, Joe Pinsker points out to how the home is becoming like an office, AND how the office is becoming more like home.

"The office-design experts I recently interviewed kept using similar adjectives to describe how many employers want their workplace to feel: comfortable, inviting, familiar, casual. Those are welcome lodestars in an area of design that has historically been utilitarian and drab, but the incorporation of domestic touches into the workplace is a bit unnerving: Even before the coronavirus pandemic, work and home had gotten uncomfortably mushed together for office workers. And with the rise of remote work for this population over the past year and a half, they have only become more so."

Two coworkers talking at work holding Surface laptops

"Of course, for workers who are expected to be constantly online, the border between work and home has been eroding for a long time. And in that respect, homey offices are more a symptom than a cause. In the possible near future when hybrid arrangements become normal and many workers split their time between homelike offices and officelike homes, the distinction between work and home life will become almost meaningless."

So what is your perspective on this? Do you feel this "home-like" office trend will be beneficial or just add to the disconnect in our brains, to identify when and where to work from?... Something to think about!

My IG #Giveaway

If you follow me on IG (@2beinsidesign), you probably know that last week I hosted an IG #giveaway competition (US only). And if you're part of my special list you also know who was the winner. Still, I just wanted to give a shoutout to these amazing brands that partnered with me.

It was fun to join efforts with Niki Cheng/M-Collection Home , Koru Mat (fold and roll yoga mat) and Bolle di Natura (natural soaps). These are New York based brands and I was super happy to host this type of competition with a theme around my favorite subject: connecting to nature! I am looking forward to partner with people like them in a near future, and bring more exciting giveaways and activities. So if you haven't followed @2beinsidesign on IG yet, it's time to do it, and please check them out too!

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FOOD

What is the meaning of Halloween and candy to you?

One of my colleagues and amazing senior coach published this post about Halloween and it really spoke to me, as I dealt with sugar addiction for many years as well...

"I have been struggle with sugar addiction for decades, I don't feel congruent just giving kids candy packed with refined sugar and artificial colorants, just because "they are not my kids" I feel responsible for their future, and I am voting with my dollars, not buying poison from the candy manufacturers anymore"So we decided to go to the dollar store and buy non food related treats, we got stickers and glow sticks and some toys...We thought about making healthy snacks and candy but with covid not many parents will appreciate that." ~ Joanna A Peters

I really appreciate Joanna for her sensitivity and wanting to contribute to a better world. I confess I have the same problem- now that I know what sugar really does to people, I don't want to gift them with sugar related things, regardless if they are close to me or not. Especially because this is an ingredient so related to triggers to emotional eating...

So this Halloween season and really, this "sugar holiday season" I would like to invite you to think a little more about what may be the stories behind the meaning of candy to you? What is it about candy and kids having fun, for instance? A lot of "habits" we pick up are ingrained in us because we grew up with them, but it doesn't have to be that way forever. You are an adult now, and you can break up with those meanings and rules that society has built in you - Vishen Lakhiani calls these of "brules" aka bullshit rules, in his book"The Code of the Extraordinary mind".

Are you ready to break the rules? 😉 How about TRICKING your sugar monster and TREATING yourself right, this time?

To help you with that, here's a great resource from Ariel Richards- another of our amazing coaches on "How to have a healthy Halloween":

4. Keep a party creative without adding sugar

When we throw a Halloween party- for ourselves or the kids- it can be tempting to create a spread that appeals to the masses. However, keep in mind that the masses are becoming more and more health focused, so you have the opportunity to set the trend ahead of the curve! Focus on super spooky decorations to create a mood, and then fill in the table with creepy whole food treats. We have given you some great ideas all month long, so have a scroll through our social media pages if you haven’t already saved them! You can try Chocolate Spiderweb Cupcakes and Monster Mouths! You can also keep it simple with deviled eggs topped with a pimento olives for Monster Eyes, clementine and celery stem ‘pumpkins’, single serving Candy Corn Parfaits (layered diced pineapple, mango and a dollop of coconut cream), and roasted pumpkin seeds. Add a barrel for apple bobbing covered in cobwebs and you’re set! For those most daring, a pitcher of Goblin Juice, a magic potion with a slightly bitter taste to make you stronger and scarier! Just don’t tell anyone it is Alkagizer and will also make you super healthy- let’s keep that our witchy secret.

Are the Holidays celebrations making you sick? The last episode of the #Tipoftheweek

Every week I am posting a short episode of a Tip of the week on my IG channel, and this last episode, was about foods that make you sick and what should you eat (or not) if you are already sick.

This post below, sent to me by a client and amazing student, is what what sparked this episode - see it here:

It's really not just a random thing - In the next 2 months, you have 4 big events that go around food. And not just any food... foods with high sugar content! Coronaviruses (like the flu) tend to thrive on sugar, the same way a lot of scary diseases - like cancer - do.

If you want to dig deeper on how sugar may be impacting our lives, this was an amazing thread addressing the evolution of sugar consumption throughout the years and how that can be the underlying cause of this pandemic, from Eric Edmeades - the founder of WILDFIT®.

Eric Edmeades

@EricEdmeades

Is it possible that the sugar industry is the underlying cause of the COVID19 Pandemic? 1/28  pic.twitter.com/zykfkGkjtZ

September 5th 2021

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In the second part of this week's episode, I spoke about why giving your body a break from its digestion, can help speed up your recovery/healing. That was part of my fast recovery of a #mildcovid experience, and if you pay attention, most of us lose our appetite even when we get a cold... Can you relate? Maybe it's your body telling you something...

Watch this episode here to find out more!

I've decided to add each tip of the week to my blog, plus I have a BONUS for the subscribers of my special list - a dedicated email with some resources for that week's episode subject. This list will be getting the free resources together with a link to watch that week's video, and you can unsubscribe anytime (if you don't like it). Trust me, you won't want to miss it! So go ahead and subscribe it by clicking here.

(And don't forget to follow @2beinsidesign on Instagram).

Sending you lots of love! Have an amazing Halloween!

Marcia Mendes

Inside Architect | Certified WildFit Coach | Certified Feng Shui Consultant