Self Care
“Treating yourself right isn’t an indulgence, it’s essential”
Meet Katelyn McCullough. She is a young entrepreneur who has devoted herself to building a self care empire. The name of her business is Elwynn & Cass and it is luxury beauty service planning for weddings and events for clients who want a beauty experience unlike any other. Looking for a full service beauty team to come to you and your bridal party or an on site glam squad to get you ready for an event? Shes got you covered. Recently shes been involved in a campaign for NYDJ denim, on site with her branded airstream at Stagecoach, Fox 5 and a holiday photoshoot with Foray Collective to name a few.
Katelyn Mcullogh
Katelyn has an incredible knack for organization and a keen eye for aesthetic detail which is one of the reasons her operation is so successful. Elwynn & Cass has been continuously involved in the self care movement by remaining active in the social networking world by activating at Self Care events, and actively sharing her journey in the community while teaming up with other like minded Women’s networking groups in the area. This self proclaimed workaholic has become a bit of an understated expert on the subject of self care based on her ability to recognize when she needs to step back and power down for awhile. I invite you along to hear her perspective on keeping it together while keeping it real.
Self care Q & A
Q: Can you give us a little background on you?
KM: I run Elwynn + Cass, a beauty concierge service with a focus on luxury beauty planning for clients and brands nationwide and internationally. I work anywhere that has wifi and am essentially in the customer service business. Managing personalities and schedules every single day, while running the front and back end of the business. I am always on the go, and I love it, but I also know it’s not necessarily healthy. Okay, it’s really not, but at least I’m aware right?
Q: Tell us a little bit about your perspective on this Self Care thing I see on your social media, and that you and many others are preaching about. What does it mean to you and in your entrepreneurial world?
KM: If you have been on social media at any point within the last month or so, you’ve most likely seen a surge in the self-care movement. You might be thinking that it’s a trend and people wanting to be “trending” on social media, that’s why they are professing a love for self-care. Well, stop that train of thought. I mean, I understand your thought process, as in our world today, 15 minutes of fame on social media and the number of likes you get or retweets, dictates your importance. But really, self-care is essential, not an indulgence, nor a luxury.
Q: With that being said, how is that that you find time to care for yourself, or what is it that makes you feel like you need to pull back the reins?
KM: I rarely take time for myself and if you catch me on my phone or laptop, I am more than likely working. I am a self-proclaimed workaholic, but I also realize that if I go, go, go for too long without a reprieve, I will burn out. Hard.
Breaking points
Q: Tell us about your breaking points or how do you know your pushing yourself too far?
KM: Talking about those individuals who seem to be on the self-care hype, I will admit I am one of them, because I know my tendencies to work non-stop for 12+ hours straight. Only taking minor breaks to eat, go to the bathroom, sleep and start the process over again. As I’m building my business though, I’ve realized that self-care is essential, no matter how small it is.
Q: So then what exactly do you mean by self care? Give us the inside scoop on some of the things you do.
KM: Self-care is pretty self-explanatory: take care of yourself. However, small or insignificant it may seem. If it makes you happy, de-stresses you, makes you feel good, etc. Do it. I unapologetically make time to workout for an hour or so each day. This could be gym time, a hike, or even a walk around my neighborhood. Working out de-stresses me, makes me feel good, and actually allows me to think more clearly. Plus working from home, while having its perks, also enables you to not put on real clothes or makeup. A daily outing to the gym or outside, at least makes me feel human during those long days.
Self are Pleasure
Q: What’s your guiltiest self care pleasure?
KM: Recently, I’ve started taking a bath a few times a week. For a very A-type personality, taking 30 minutes to sit in a bath and do nothing, is hard. It’s worth it though, because I’m doing it for me and I deserve it. Self-care is all about believing that you deserve to take care of yourself. When we start starting believing that we deserve to feel special and that we are worthy of taking care of ourselves, it’s not an indulgence. It is truly vital to your sanity and your overall happiness.
Q: Im sure thats lead to other things in finding time for and making it apart of your essential daily living, care to share more?
KM: I’m sure you’ve heard the adage “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life”, and it’s true. If you genuinely enjoy something, make it work and fit it in. Sometimes I have days filled with meetings/events from 7:00am – 8:00pm and the only time I would get to workout is at 5:30am. Guess what, it’s happening.
Why? Because I care enough about myself and my well-being (my sanity, let’s be real here) that’s how I know I need it.
If you love getting coffee with your best friend once a week, do it. If you like to get your nails done once a week, schedule that time for yourself. You like to read, fit it in. If you want to spend more time with your kids, please make it a priority. Why? Because all of these things matter to you, and you are just as important as the work you are doing. More so even, and don’t ever forget that.
Q: What’s a final word, phrase or thought you can leave with our readers?
KM: If you are anything like me and a workaholic, take some time for yourself and make yourself a priority. Treating yourself right isn’t an indulgence, it’s essential.
Learn more about Katelyn & Elwynn & Cass