Turn Up with Ally

made sure our voices were heard today —

because this was a primary & my partner had already been, it felt safe (energetically) for our highly anxious child to come with me today. I’ve never seen this before but they had paper ballots for kids to vote with things like pizza or ice cream and unicorns or dinosaurs and a box to submit them to before leaving.

I had already planned to discuss with R how voting works in practice. until now we’ve been limited to conversations away from the process — he’s never seen it in person. getting to participate today with a kid’s ballot, he was asking more questions about what they’ll do with the results, why they did that for the kids, what they’ll do once the adult ballots are printed and where they go.

as a mom determined to raise a good man, I really appreciate the effort put into acknowledging and including him in the process today. we talked a lot about the responsibility of being prepared, why voting is so important — knowing the issues and the candidates. if you’re in OH or IN, make sure you get out to vote today & thank your poll workers while you’re there 🫶🏻

if you’ve seen my stories recently, you may already know that a few weeks ago, I was dealing with an infection that got out of hand. difficulty breathing, painful restriction of motion — it hurt to lift my arms, to stretch, to dance, jump and then to breathe. face down on a yoga mat became excruciating.

the medical team and I discussed what may have caused the infection. unfortunately, there was no singular, definitive answer but we talked at length about my workout routine and time spent in my too-tight, sweaty clothes post workout, running errands after classes. the working theory is that I may have exacerbated a preexisting issue with my habits, not to mention rewearing a sports bra out of desperation on laundry day 🫣

since then, I’ve intentionally pulled the pieces I’ve spent too long squeezing into and set them aside for donation. they are still in good condition and I’ve been hesitant to purchase new items - so much so that I’ve been wearing things 1-2 sizes too small. between the sweat & the friction, I really wasn’t helping myself OR PRACTICING QUALITY SELF CARE.

there’s being budget conscious & prioritizing essentials and then there’s stubbornness and avoidance. since healing and getting the all clear, I’ve invested in these new high impact bras. better fit, better straps, better ventilation. I’ll be testing them out for myself but sharing so you know what’s worth the investment before spending, too.

dancing with & babeeeee
july 2025 • january 2026

what an absolute joy, dancing side-by-side with my sister while my nephews grows and now, someone is officially on maternity leave! happy to support sis while she finishes growing little man and recovers after giving birth.

making the playlist today for class tomorrow & the weeks to come. if you have requests, DM me.

my hero
is nearly there. in her 8th month and still teaching multiple classes a week.

years ago, I attended a retreat and danced to Rihanna’s “Desperado” outside, in the florida heat under a brutal sun. and yet, it was such a vibe. later, I attended a training where this routine was repeated again and again and again and I thought the reps might end me. for the longest time, digging deep for this routine during difficult classes meant thinking back to times when I danced it under more difficult conditions. after today? sis is THE inspo.

I’ve missed classes the last couple weeks due to my back injury flaring up, taking the necessary time to recover before subbing classes for her when she goes on leave. dancing with her today, still seeing her in her element and leading — so powerful.

I still remember the kid with the basketball under her shirt, goofing with me while I was home for the summer and pregnant myself 🥹

*I know not everyone has the opportunity to experience this —
maintaining exercise during pregnancy or even pregnancy itself. I wasn’t teaching during my last pregnancy but I was taking classes and my HR was too high for classes to be sustainable. I had to stop very early. I know I’m not alone in that & every experience is unique and personal. so, to be clear, the power isn’t in just continuing to teach, it’s something I’m in awe of anytime you’re listening to and honoring your body, regardless of your journey.

I ran today.

for the first time since 2022. because is doing for me what I haven’t been able to do for myself. I smiled. I laughed to & at myself. I danced on the running track. I truly thought my ability to run was… gone. thank you 🙌🏻

I can’t tell you how much this means after… everything. this collective experience has been such a gift but to be given the gift of lost movement back? my bike, running — recognizing my body, waking up again?! I can’t begin to explain what this means 🫶🏻



tierney

2025 a year in motion

last year I decided to start setting aside a little bit from each paycheck to fund a Christmas account. in years past, we outlined a budget but this was a more intentional effort to be prepared.

for us, this season also includes two birthdays — my partner, day of and our daughter the day after. my sister is expecting early 2026 and we have a baby shower coming up in a few weeks and we’ll be throwing our daughter’s sweet 16 soon. so this fund was a game changer these past few weeks. it’s no secret that groceries are more expensive than ever so having this already set aside “lessened the blow” of holiday shopping, to some degree.

this account has been slow to fund but a nonnegotiable when budgeting and paying bills each month. while participating in the major boycotts, we’ve gone nearly exclusive with small business & b corp gift purchases this year. some incredibly unique finds, some custom-made.

we usually use the holiday cardboard boxes and recycle them after but with kids, they’re single use — they tear right thru them. this year, we switched to bags so we can use & reuse multiple times. hoping to encourage the kids to pick up some sustainability practices in between all the wrapping, gift giving and opening this season.

got everything set out by the tree & of course, rewatching the new holiday classic . R was really struggling to get to sleep and was quite anxious so partner & I turned that off so we could get him settled and to sleep. took hours so I didn’t get back to my rewatch. that’s okay, it’s just on loop these days anyway 🇨🇦🏒🥅

happy holidays from me & mine
… and happy cottage day to all those who celebrate 😉

things we did today | fall break pt. 6

shopped with my mom in hamilton after a great class this morning 🙌🏻🔥 HUGE SHOUTOUT to everyone who gave me advice about mixing up the smoothie — better ingredients, proper order, the right amount of ice — just look at the difference here. it was delicious and kept me full all during our shop small adventure today!!

scroll to see >> mom made a new friend

things we did this week | fall break pt. 4 & 5

we didn’t take any pictures on thursday but on friday, R and I went out to grab a few things. not black friday shopping so we waited to make sure we didn’t run into any major crowds. he took my phone to play pokémon and told me he wanted to take a pic of me. “you look at books, I’ll play”. that’ll get me every dang time.

he has no idea the containers we picked up are where I’ll be hiding his & his sister’s Christmas gifts this year. the first were delivered this week and I was in search of a reusable set of containers to keep them hidden until Christmas.

things we did yesterday | fall break pt. 3

took a long walk around the neighborhood. tried to get R to come with me but it was far too cold for him. not even the promise of playing pokémon could tempt him.

taught a high vibe class then peep that security cam footage of me racing home to start stranger things with S. watched all the new episodes — saving my reactions for later when there’s less of a concern for spoilers. have you watched it yet? my reactions will be over on threads when the time comes. how long do you usually wait to avoid spoiling for fellow fans?!