hollis_mm (2024)

09/07/2023

Solar Return 🌞

A persons Solar return (or birthday) occurs when the sun comes back around to the same place it was when they were born.

The Sun represents our identity, our mental capacity, our inner fire, our center point of self.

When the current Sun meets our birth Sun - it’s a reigniting of a persons purpose for being. It’s a yearly moment of connecting to who we are and who we’re meant to be.

The day itself is a reminder to realign with your passion, sense of purpose, and what makes you feel and come alive. Even if that just meetings noticing the moments that bring you delight ✨

Grateful for this next turn around the Sun, and looking forward to all that 34 will bring 💫

Photo by .tejada 🩵

30/06/2023

I have long believed in the link between our emotional well-being and our physical well-being. There is no separations within how we FEEL. Even if you think about emotions simply being experienced in the body, it’s obvious that they would affect our physical dispositions. They are made from and for our physical bodily experience.

The things that bring us joy, that spark our imagination, that ignite our excitement - those are the things that FEED our life force. They generate our energy and motivate us into embracing life.

Why else would we be living if we weren’t supposed to find and choose what makes us FEEL alive?

Thank you for putting this so succinctly during your interview on . As a mentor and coach I could say this a million times but hearing it from a health practitioner makes it all the more impactful ☀️

28/06/2023

One of my favorite qualities of Cancer is the quality of nostalgia. Of all the signs, Cancer has a deep emotional appreciation for the past and the memories of our shared histories.

It’s antithesis, Capricorn, also loves history but from the practical perspective of how one thing builds on top of the next. Cancer, however can carry the emotional experience of what once was, and can sometimes even recall those emotions into the present moment.

There is a gift here of the importance of remembering our history - not just the events that occurred, but how those events made us feel. How the events made their imprints on us. How we connect where we came from to where we are now.

Because experiences are nothing without the emotions that go along with them. And when we remember the experiences that brought us joy, we’re reminded of what we love. And when we remember the experiences that brought us pain, we’re reminded of what we need to heal.

Picking up this second roll of film this week - second during this years Cancer season - has brought the past into the present in ways that have stirred my heart. These photos are gifts from the me of last summer for the me of this summer 💛

(Last photo is of the moon btw 🌙)

23/06/2023

Picked up a roll of film and I’m happy to say it did not disappoint 🩵💘💗

Summer 2023 let’s do a little more of this please! ❤️‍🔥

12/06/2023

Your life is not going to look like everybody else’s life.

You will make choices that don’t make sense to anyone else.

There will be people, places, and experiences that ring harmoniously true to you and are abrasively discordant to others.

When you know you’ve made the right choice for you, you’ll feel it, know it, taste it, and that’s what counts.

It is possible to live in pursuit of your greatest joy and delight, and also live with integrity, compassion, and action for the greater good. They’re not mutually exclusive.

You will find greater acceptance and ease by following your curiosity and choosing the things that light you up.

Don’t let anyone else’s opinion of your life hold you back*

______

The Illuminated Course Summer Session begins NEXT WEEK !

This 12 week journey has been created for you to uncover your authentic self, cultivate mindful habits, and live an empowered life that lights you up ✨

You can start anytime next week and walk away at the end of the summer with a whole new appreciation and activation of your life⚡️

Plus the course is 20% OFF for our 1 year anniversary🎉

If you or someone you know and love is seeking or currently navigating a transition in your career, close relationships, financial health, relationship to self-care, personal vitality, or any other area of your life, The Illuminated Course (and me, Hollis) is here to support you every step of the way.

Link in bio for more 🔌 and hope you join 🤗

______

*Unless you’re actually harming someone else, in which case that's a different conversation!

12/06/2023

Your life is not going to look like everybody else’s life.

You will make choices that don’t make sense to anyone else.

There will be people, places, and experiences that ring harmoniously true to you and are abrasively discordant to others.

When you know you’ve made the right choice for you, you’ll feel it, know it, taste it, and that’s what counts.

It is possible to live in pursuit of your greatest joy and delight, and also live with integrity, compassion, and action for the greater good. They’re not mutually exclusive.

You will find greater acceptance and ease by following your curiosity and choosing the things that light you up.

Don’t let anyone else’s opinion of your life hold you back*

______

The Illuminated Course Summer Session begins NEXT WEEK !

This 12 week journey has been created for you to uncover your authentic self, cultivate mindful habits, and live an empowered life that lights you up ✨

You can start anytime next week and walk away at the end of the summer with a whole new appreciation and activation of your life⚡️

Plus the course is 20% OFF for our 1 year anniversary🎉

If you or someone you know and love is seeking or currently navigating a transition in your career, close relationships, financial health, relationship to self-care, personal vitality, or any other area of your life, The Illuminated Course (and me, Hollis) is here to support you every step of the way.

Link in bio for more 🔌 and hope you join 🤗

______

*Unless you’re actually harming someone else, in which case that's a different conversation!

10/06/2023

Our pool is officially open!! Who’s ready to come use it?! ☀️😆💦

26/05/2023

Big news!! 🎙️🎙️🎙️

We’re staying true to our core values and yes - we’re expanding!!

The Designed Life Podcast, the audio extension of , will be available for your listening pleasure beginning Thursday, June 1st - that's next week!

Talking everything from:
- Navigating sticky transitions
- Getting out from being/feeling stuck
- Figuring out who you are now and becoming THAT PERSON you know you want to be
- Extracting yourself from people, relationships and careers that make you feel suffocated
- Solutions to communication breakdowns
- And soooo much more

There's so many questions that come up in life that we just haven't been given the tools, solutions, answers or navigation to understand and direct ourselves around.

This podcast is being created in the hopes that we can provide inspiration, ideas and insights based on our experience and the experience of our guests to help you better understand your own life – your emotions, thoughts, feelings, habits, mental patterns, behaviors and responses.

So that we all can become more aligned in how we live, how we navigate our lives, the relationships that we choose and the careers and visions that we pursue.

This has been a dream since we first officially launched LDC almost 1 year ago, and I'm thrilled to finally be bringing it into existence.

Who’s ready to join this ride with me? 😄✨

23/05/2023

Feeling it’s time for a little re-introduction ✨

I’m Hollis and I’m a full time, extremely passionate lover of life and everything is has to offer☺️

I’ve either single-handedly created or co-created 4 different businesses in my 33 yrs, 2 of which are still thriving.

I’ve been in over $75k worth of credit card debt, at a time when I could barely keep my head above water, so I learned to work and budget my way out to the other side. Enough to buy a house 3 yrs later with my fiancé, and continue traveling regularly.

I’ve been in emotionally manipulative and toxic relationships that tested and taught me more about my strength, self worth and grit, while also teaching me how to recover from the kind of anxiety that caused an eating disorder, anemia, insomnia, and deep heartbreak.

I’ve seen my fair share of trauma - either by personal experience, or having witnessed in close proximity, and learned the sensitive details of navigating and holding space for that kind of healing.

I taught yoga for 10 years, and in that time learned to hone my voice and hold space for others, while also cultivating the most incredible community who I love and who will feel like family for the rest of my life.

When I was a kid I first wanted to be a vegetarian veterinarian bc I loved animals so much. Then I wanted to be a professional singer and sang in all my school talent shows and even joined a church choir.

Those same church years also saw me become excited about Catholicism. Which quickly saw me get excited about Buddhism. Which eventually evolved into an overall appreciation of the experience of faith which I still feel is integral to being human.

I’m a Sag rising, Cancer 8th house Sun, and Libra 11th house Moon, which not only makes me fun and ambitious, but also incredibly loyal, empathetic, supportive, nurturing, and connecting, and I’ll likely remember everything you tell me.

I feel like I’m standing on a wealth of experience that has allowed me to become a mentor, teacher and guide. So I wouldn’t change a single thing that’s happened in my life bc I wholeheartedly believe it’s made me the who I am today.

Mostly, I’m just so grateful to be here and be with all of you💙

15/05/2023

What are the spaces where you feel most inspired?

In a museum? In the kitchen? On a cushion?

In the garden, or on a walk, or on a yoga mat?

With other people? Or just with some other people? Or maybe just with yourself?

What about in crowded space? Or quiet incubating spaces? Or something in between?

Where do you find yourself feeling that tingly spark of inspiration?

What places naturally generate ideas for you?

What activities, little or big, get you motivated and excited to get going?

✨

14/05/2023

My momma lion ❤️ Every day I’m grateful that you’re my mom, grateful for our relationship, and grateful for all the fun we’ve had and continue to have together!!

I’m endlessly lucky that we get to spend this lifetime together ❤️ Thank you for choosing me - I love you! 💃🏼💃🏻

07/05/2023

+ A sense of purpose
+ A deeper knowing of yourself
+ An activation of your strengths in such a way that you know how to get out of your own way and take action towards what you most desire
+ A new level of personal growth and development

All within just a short season - a brief 12 week in your life ☀️

The 12 Week Program (new name incoming!) continues to prove to be a container for transformation for my clients.

Everyone walks away from their 12 weeks with a renewed sense of vitality and embodiment ⚡️

So deeply grateful for another great season doing my work and getting to support, guide and witness this transformation in my incredible clients 💙

Summer season begins the week of the Summer Solstice - June 21 ☀️

Link in bio 🔌

02/05/2023

The 12 Astrological House pt. 1

The study of the stars has been part of humanity from the very beginning. We have always watched the sky, and looked to the luminaries for guidance - whether practically as a form to tell time or spiritually as significations for what's to come.

Astrology itself is over 4000 years old, which means it's one of the oldest and most thriving sciences that expands beyond culture and time.

When I first started learning about the house system (over a decade ago at this point), my mind had a hard time wrapping my head around the concept ---- There are sections of a chart and sections of the sky that correlate to different categories of our lives? And some of those categories seem to have nothing to do with one another... like death and taxes? What?

But this understanding of "places" or "houses" in our chart and how it relates to the sections of the sky is a concept that has it's roots in ancient Egyptian astrology, and the more I've studied how each of the houses functions in my own life as well as my clients and friends, the more it's made itself clear.

This is 1/2 of a basic outline of the houses that can be used as a foundation resource, particularly when using the whole sign house system (each pie slice = one zodiac sign).

EXAMPLE:
So if you know you have Aquarius rising (1st house), and the Sun is currently in Ta**us, you can determine the Sun is currently moving through your 4th house, which means the categories of home, family, foundation, security, support systems, real estate and ancestry are probably being illuminated for you.

Part 2 of this set will come soon, but let me know if you find this helpful or interesting ☺️✨💫

30/04/2023

I’ve been thinking a lot about the joy of aging lately.

Between ’s new podcast (Wiser than Me), ’s recent the caption “aging is beautiful”, and adjusting to my full on adulting life as a homeowner in the suburbs - the idea of growing older feels more and more like a gift.

My grandma died 10 years ago today - she was 83. As much as I would still love for her to be here, she had such a full life up to the very end - with a huge community of friends, so many stories of her travels, and a big loving family around her.

Maybe some would say 83 is too young, but I think it’s what you do with the years that you have that matters. And she did so much ❤️

I’ve been feeling more and more lucky every day that I get to grow older, and I’m able to carry the wisdom of each day into the next.

I look back to my 20s and think about how little I knew and understood, and how amazing being in my 40s and 50s and beyond is going to be.

The accrual of experience and sub-sequential knowledge only comes with the accumulation of time, and I’m so excited for all the possible time I get to live through.

Don’t get it twisted - I’m not asking for a reverse Benjamin Button at all. I’m just asking for the appreciation of all the time ahead of me as I live through it. To soak up all it has to offer - so that as I look back on my life I can see the incredible connections, insights, and experiences as its own great wealth.

Time is so elusive. We do our best to contain and define it, but it can’t be controlled. It’s like a rushing river - it can be dammed or course shifted but it will never stop flowing onward.

But maybe it’s not about the water that’s rushed past, but in fact all the water that’s still on its way. Maybe it’s less about what’s moved on and what we’ve “lost” and instead all that’s still to come and what we have still to gain.

The process of aging becomes expansive rather than confining from this perspective…

This post is also now very extra 🪐🌊

So I’m curious - how have you been feeling about time or aging lately?

Have you noticed more fluidity and spaciousness where you once felt restriction or lack?

LMK 💛

16/04/2023

“Your outsides look like your insides”
“You never looked more like yourself!”
“You sound so passionate and connected to your work.”
“I can tell how you feel by your body language.”

Coming to know who we are internally alone is a life long journey.

We change day by day and moment by moment so we can’t expect who we’re we’re last year to be the same person we are today or next year.

Added on to that we have all these modes of communication so that we can accurately and easily understand one another and interact (ideally) well with one another.

The process of gracefully marrying these two activities - getting to know ourselves and the actively expressing ourselves with others - that’s a journey.

How to share and express this ever evolving self that’s inside in a way that is true, honest and that people also interpret accurately is not something we will ever arrive at.

We may get to know our personal through lines more thoroughly with time, and we may get more comfortable with self-expressing in ways that are honest although they’re uncomfortable, but because we’re always changing and the people and world around us are always changing - the practice is always changing.

“…there is no direct conversion from abstract though to the material world. The work is always an interpretation.” - Rick Rubin.

True of creativity and true of personal self expression.

Imagine if we woke up every day and asked ourselves - who am I today? How will I interpret myself today? How do I want to express myself today?

08/04/2023

Feeling like the flowers 🌸🌼🌺🌻🌷🪷🌞

29/03/2023

New testimonial for The 12 Week Program 💫 via

I deeply love this work that I get to do every season with my clients.

It’s incredibly inspiring to see a person enter into the process feeling lost, unaligned, or just needing support and then thoughtfully work there way into a sense of wholeness, empowerment, and alignment.

Over the years, my clients have:
⚡️Successfully navigated career changes
⚡️Found their life partners
⚡️Gracefully transitioned out of misaligned relationships
⚡️Uncovered a sense of vitality and connectedness they thought they’d lost completely
⚡️Cultivated an unshakable sense of self-worth that empowers them to curate a life that they deeply love
⚡️Created toolkits to allow themselves to gracefully navigate any challenging situation that comes their way from a space of self trust and strength

Each person is unique in their journey, and I make sure to custom tailor the program to fit their needs so that they can achieve the most growth and expansion in our 3 months together.

Next session begins the week of the Summer Solstice - June 21st. I hope you join the journey 💫

20/03/2023

Spring Equinox/ Aries Szn mood board 🌺🌷🌸🌼🌻🌱

If there's anything that I live and have always lived by is that everyone is allowed to be and express however they feel they need and want to (so long as it's not harming anyone).

There is nothing more exciting and inspiring than seeing people fully embrace who they are, without inhibition, and go after the things they want with joy, excitement, and passion💥

It's like when I see people dancing and singing along at shows without caring at all that they're surrounded by ton of people. I LOVE that energy!! ✨

So that's the kind of Aries vibe I'm calling in for this season 💃🏼

It's a new astrological year, it's a new season, and it's a whole new energy. What are you inviting in and letting go of? 🌱✨

04/03/2023

Your key to transformation is just around the corner 🔑

What I love about offering the 12 Week Program every season is aiding and witnessing a persons realignment and full reclamation of who they are. And by the end of the 12 weeks they’ve stepped into a new, empowered, whole hearted version of themselves, and they’re actively curating the life they most desire.

It’s powerful!!

Every person comes in with they’re own vision and goal, and i tailor the program to specifically work with that goal.

We usually end up working on three things at once - something personal and internal, something habit and mindset based, and something external and material.

And that means by the end of the course they’ve not only creating a whole new internal foundation of themselves, but they’re actively exercising that self out in the world.

I could go on about how much I love this work, but I leave it for those you are truly interested!

Spring session begins the week of the Spring Equinox - March 21st. If you’re interested, check the link in my bio or message for more 💌

If you’re ready to step into the most alive, awake, and empowered version of you - this is your time 💙

01/03/2023

Prepping for a big month ahead with so much change in the air 🌬️

Astrologically we have some big movements this month:
—- Pluto moving into Aquarius for the first time in close to 300 years
—- Saturn finally moving out of Saturn ruled signs for the first time in 6 years
—- Mars FINALLY moving out of Gemini

The energy in the room is about to change ⚡️

I for one am thrilled for what’s next ✨

Over we have several offerings to help you navigate these shifting waters
⭐️ Free 30 min coaching calls beginning next week
⭐️ The Spring session of the 12 Week Program beginning the week of the Spring Equinox
⭐️ A Free New Moon/ Spring Equinox Workshop to be announced very soon

All offerings to help you tap into the inner fire power you have to embrace and step boldly into this next season ⚡️

All info can be found via the links in my bio or just DM for more.

Wishing you all a beautiful month ahead 🤗🤍

Most photos via or

22/02/2023

BELIEF

The first key to creating anything in this life is believing that it’s possible. Any idea can exist in your mind, but the second it clicks as a real possibility, that’s when it starts moving towards manifestation⚡️

Everything in this world and your life has started out as a thought, but the only reason it became something real and tangible is because it was believed and trusted to be possible🔑

Belief is essentially about mindset - how you work with your thoughts, and what thoughts you believe to be true💡

It’s not magic, and it’s not rocket science - it’s simple mental habit change ⚙️

—— What do you want to be real in your life, but feel you have a hard time believing is possible?
—— Where do you hold yourself back when a big part of you really wants to go for something?
—— What’s stopping you?
—— What makes it challenging for you to believe in yourself?

The 12 Week Program Spring Session begins in less than 1 month, and we tackle all of this and SO much more to help your bring your most ideal life into existence ✨

Everything you want in this life all starts with belief – and belief is something we can all achieve ✨

20/02/2023

Officially a carnival convert 😄🎉

15/02/2023

I’ve been trying to find the best way to share this, and even questioning if I should post anything here. But today finally feels like the right time ✨

Nigel and I got engaged last December 🥰💍

The moment was incredibly special and just between us, so we don’t have any engagement photos, but I think this set of pics in our favorite places will do 😊

I love this man so much, and I still can’t believe how my love is still growing every day. I feel so lucky to be able to spend the rest of my life with him 💞

14/02/2023

The beauty of the in between 🌥️

I was reminded this weekend how much I love being in liminal spaces. It’s very much in my nature (and astrology) to find comfort in between what was and what’s to come. And to also sometimes help people who are in those spaces to trust the process of that that grey area.

It’s next level fulfillment being allowed to be where I feel most comfortable and to help other people experience that same type of comfort when they’re open to me doing so ✨

Calling in more and more and more of these types of experiences ⚡️

07/02/2023

Leaving this here as a marker for this part of the journey. So much is simmering for the future and it’s all in support of this message right here✨

Choosing the life and the work that you most desire is not the easiest path and it asks a lot of you, but it’s also the greatest gift to be able to make decisions that align with your most inner truth and put in the work and builds and builds on your sense of fulfillment.

And to be able to do it with people you love - nothing is better.

I’m in the process of building something I’m incredibly excited about, and can’t wait to share it with you 🤍

01/01/2023

2023 LET’S GO 🎉

In an effort to keep this year simple and streamlined, I’m setting down 6 key intentions gather than goals.

Each of these support my top values and connect to my larger vision for the feeling of my life that I most want to continue/create ⚡️

This is less about checking off tasks and more about cultivating an experience for myself on a regular and consistent basis✨🤗

What are the qualities and feelings that you hope to cultivate in 2023?

Do you have any clear intentions that you hope to carry with you through the year?

Happy New Year friends! 🎉

15/12/2022

How to be honest with yourself + stick to your needs as a people-pleaser ~ in 5 not so easy steps:

🚩 HONOR YOUR INSTINCTS
When you have a gut instinct, or strong feeling about something - listen to it. It can be so easy to make our instincts smaller in the face of potential conflict, and gloss over our needs to keep the peace. Instead, try turning up the volume HIGH, and remind yourself of it as often. Honor the feeling as truth, even if you’re not sure if it is. Journal it, or (if you can) speak about it with confidants to help make it more concrete and manageable.

🔬 GET CLEAR ABOUT YOUR FEAR
If you naturally stray from confrontation or conflict, spend time asking yourself why. Is it fear of abandonment by the other person? Or by yourself in the heat of the moment? Is it fear of asking too much or seeming like you’re taking up too much space? Get really clear about what you’re afraid of, and then assess if the fear is worth keeping your needs under wraps. Extra: Ask yourself what the worst case scenario might be, and make a clear plan for how to navigate it - with kindness & compassion for everyone involved.

🫶 LEAN INTO VULNERABILITY
When our needs aren’t being met, it can be really easy to mask our hurt as anger or resentment. Dig deeper to uncover what part of you is feeling dismissed to find the words to express your needs. Sharing from your heart will strengthen your integrity and build courage.

💎 REMEMBER YOUR WORTH
It can be easy as people-pleasers to feel like the needs of others are more important than ours, or easily release our needs for the sake of others’ comfort. But everyone is allowed to have needs, and deserves to have them met - and that means you too. If after you build the courage to request what you need, the other persons(s) is unwilling to meet them (or find a compromise) they aren’t for you - as painful as that might be.

🙏 STICK TO YOURSELF
After making requests or stating our feelings it can be really easy want to go back to the status-quo quickly, even if our needs haven’t been met with action yet. Continue to stick to your gut instincts, and trust your insights, to remind yourself of if you’re getting what you need.

❤️

11/12/2022

First snow in the new home ✨

This California girl will never get tired of this ❄️😊

hollis_mm

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