Have you seen the Febreeze commercial about going nose blind? In case you haven’t, it’s about being inundated by the same smells in your house day in and day out that you no longer notice them. Like…the cat litter for example. You don’t realize you live in a smelly cat house because you’ve grown accustomed to it! The constant exposure to it makes it unnoticeable to you. You’re nose blind. 

I’m sure at this point in the year you’re whatever the “Someone else is sending my gift guide” version is of nose blind. And yet, here I am sending a gift guide! So, why am I doing it? Well, people ask me about this stuff! And enough people ask for these types of recommendations or about these specific things that I figured I would compile them into one cute place and you can take it or leave it. Some of the links are affiliate links and others aren’t. All of these are products, services, and people I love and actually use in my own life. I guess you could say that they are 100% backed by Alissa. And as you know, I’ve got your back! I’ve got your front. And I’ve got your undercarriage.

Enjoy! Give the gift of altering someone’s day and feel free to share this list with anyone you think may enjoy a dose of cozy or may want some ideas on what to gift you this holiday season. 

✨Did you know you can gift someone you love a subscription to Alter Your Life on Substack?! YOU CAN! A gift you can feel great about knowing you will brighten someone’s inbox each week, share relatable, fun, and impactful tools to sculpt their insides and outsides, and support an independent creator! All you have to do is enter the recipient’s email address and your billing info! Easy peasy! Click here to get started. 

✨YOUR FREE Self-Care Menu! The gift that keeps on giving. You can use the sample menu I created for your (it’s also the one I use for myself) or create your own! The best thing about this? You can download one for yourself AND send it to a friend or all of your friends! Because who doesn’t need a moment for and with themselves during the holidays?! I know I do!

✨Movement Unmeasured Simi Botic has created something so special, so powerful, and so…unmeasured that you get to move freely, with joy and curiosity! You can also listen to Simi talk about finding pleasure at the barre on Alter Your Life the podcast! 

✨My favorite cashmere onesie. I’m wondering how long mine will fit for and I’m heartbroken over it, but it’s ok. I also have the joggers… It’s splurge and you may remember that I rang in New Years 2021 in it waving Bye Bye Bye to 2020

✨I love a hot mug of something. Usually coffee, but I also LOVE this ReNoo by Nooci which is filled with supportive herbs formulated using the wisdom of TCM and supervised by…my acupuncturist! Noose founder Stephanie Tan was on the podcast talking about how even in our modern world, health takes time. I find that ReNoo helps me to both slow down and find my energy again! 

✨These sustainable, non toxic candles are my JAM! And they smell like heaven! Plus they come from my friend Jenny’s store Ave Lumi. You may remember her from Myth of Motherhood the podcast where we talked about sustainability and finding your blind spots! She’s a badass mom determined to leave the world a little better than how she found it 🙂 

✨I love reading an actual book. Touching it, smelling it, and not looking at a screen for a minute! These books are written by people I care about whose writing really moved me. They’ve also all been (or are soon to be) guests on my podcasts…because I love them! The links all take you to Bookshop.org as they are an online distributor that supports small bookstores! You can buy these books wherever you want and I invite you to support the great work of bookshop.org.

• Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcast Build For Tomorrow. His Book of the same name is all about how to find the potential and opportunity in change and prepare for evolution because…it’s inevitable! Written for business? Sure. Applies to all of life? HELL YEA! Check out Build For Tomorrow the book here!

• Erin Khar is an author, speaker mother, and recovered heroin addict. Her memoir Strung out is one of the most human stories I’ve ever read. She doesn’t fit the profile of what a heroin addict is “supposed to look like” and that’s the point. Addiction isn’t reserved for the stereotype in your head, addiction is a symptom experienced by human beings struggling with the human experience. Check out Strung Out here and follow/subscribe to Alter Your Life the podcast to hear Erin speak about how we can protect future generations, reduce harm, and find better coping mechanisms when the human experience becomes too much to handle. 

• I Am Yours is a memoir written by a dear friend Reema Zaman. We met on our first day of college (the same day I met my now ex husband) and our lives have woven in and out of each other since. Raised in Bangkok, I remember the first time Reema delighted in seeing her breath in the cold, Saratoga springs winter air. Reading her memoir I was blown away by the rich, traumatic, romantic world in which she was raised. When meeting her you are bathed in love and kindness which is too often born of being raised in a volatile, abusive world. Her story I Am Yours is a shared memoir and a story of deep, deep love.  

• We kicked off season 1 of Alter Your Life the podcast with media maven Zibby Owens who has not stopped since we last met with her. She has launched a magazine, a publishing platform, and now…a bookstore in Santa Monica California. Her memoir Bookends moved me for many reasons. Two of which are 1) She followed her gut and left a marriage that no longer fit well and is now happily remarried and 2) when the world wouldn’t publish her book, she did! If I may quote A Chorus Line she said “F*ck you Radio City and the Rockettes! I’m going to be on Broadway!” I love a woman who takes life by the labia and makes her dreams come true.  

• Unstuck: From Understudy To The Study Of Your Undercarriage I’m obviously going to include my own book on the list! It’s short, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll learn a little bit more of my story and how I became the unfiltered, unapologetic monster I am today. On a mission to destigmatize the female body and experience. I am done suffering in silence, and now suffer OUT LOUD! As demonstrated by this instagram reel and anyone who has crossed my path since mid september when i started feeling like complete trash from this pregnancy! Yay! Unstuck is available only on kindle! 

✨If you’re interested in giving someone Pilates For THEIR Privates courses or some 1:1 support through one of life’s bumpy transitions, reply to this email and we will make these dreams come true! You can learn more about the courses here: Foundations 101, The Pregnancy Roadmap, and The Postpartum Revival. 

I am sending you the warmest holiday wishes. And whatever you celebrate, and with whomever you celebrate, know that I always have your back. Your front. And your undercarriage.

xo , Alissa