Letter from TeriLyn – March 2025

I’ve been on the fence about whether I’d keep writing these monthly posts (which is why this is going up later than usual) since I’m not sure if people enjoy them. But, I reminded myself that the way this whole blog started was me simply writing for the joy of writing. It wasn’t my job, it wasn’t data-driven, it was simply an online journal. I’ve always loved writing (and briefly considered majoring in journalism instead of finance), but the way that blogging and influencing have evolved over the years has meant that writing has become less of a priority in my business, for various reasons. So, if my monthly Letter lets me keep that hobby somewhat fresh, it’s valuable, even if no one reads it. And, it’s fun for me to look back over time and remember this stage of life.

Family

March started off with spring break for Thomas. We didn’t do anything big – other than go to the Greensboro Science Center for the first time – but it was nice to feel like we had a little more time together as a family. He only goes to preschool for a half day, but I work in the afternoons, and I tried my best not to work as much while he was out of school so that it felt different, both for him and me. And I think I succeeded because he asked for another spring break for weeks afterward.

A couple of weeks later, Thomas had his first field trip, and I went as a chaperone, and I think I had even more fun than he did. All these things I never gave much thought to– like being a soccer mom and going on field trips – bring me such joy. I wasn’t the person who grew up dreaming of being a mom. I dreamed of being a CEO, which I am now (although I didn’t even think of dreaming of being the CEO of my own company), but I didn’t think I wanted kids. Then, once I met Tommy and realized I did want kids (funny how that changed once I was with the right person), I wasn’t sure if I could have kids. So I think the whole journey from getting married later in life to having kids much later than most of my friends has made me appreciate the entire motherhood journey even more.

Charles starting walking in March and by the end of the month, was walking EVERYWHERE and never sitting. He’s climbing up stairs, climbing out of his high chair, and is now trying to go down stairs so we’re all on our toes, all the time. He is seriously such a joyful child. Everyone comments on how happy he is and when I say prayers with him at night, that’s what I thank God for – that he’s so happy and brings so much joy to those around him.

I also saw Hannah in March and celebrated her pregnancy at her baby shower! She grew up in Winston but now lives in Southport (3.5 hours away), so we actually don’t see each other that often. Thankfully, she still has reasons to visit! And, her best friend Libby, whom I just think the world of (and has such impeccable style that I admire so much) came too. She was so incredibly sweet with my boys, and they both took to her. It was such a special afternoon that I spending time with them since baby showers don’t really allow for quality time. Hannah has truly become family after working for me for six years (starting as an intern in college), and I’m so excited for her to transition to this next phase of life! She’ll be such an incredible mother.

Health

I had a lot of doctor and PT appointments in March. The journey to figure out my breast pain is still ongoing. I’ve been having pain for four months now, which no one can figure out. (In the past few letters, I shared all the mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs I’ve been having.) I feel very confident that the pain is thrush, and I finally asked my doctor to prescribe APNO, and the pain improved dramatically once I got on that in late February. But, it still hasn’t been totally resolved, so they took a breastmilk sample to test and see if they can confirm thrush.

I also went back in for a follow-up ultrasound since they wanted to keep an eye on some swollen lymph nodes. I had felt that all of this testing was overkill if it’s just thrush, but the US technician told me what the doctors are concerned about– inflammatory breast cancer. I wish someone had told me in the beginning that that is what they are looking for. I guess I assumed that if they found a lump, it’d be pretty straightforward, but IBC is very hard to diagnose and is often mistaken for mastitis (which I’ve had twice in the last four months) and/or thrush. And it’s very aggressive. While that was disconcerting, my gut tells me it’s not cancer. And, if it is, there is nothing I can do but rely on God’s plan, so I’m not getting hung up on the “what if”. I go back in for another ultrasound in six months.

On a happier note, I’ve been running a little bit more. Still nowhere close to what I did pre-kids (when I ran 30-50 miles a week), but it’s been fun to get out on a somewhat regular basis. I only run 3-4 miles at a time, a couple times a week, but it’s been great for my mental health more than anything.

Work

March was very, very busy with work. Since working with ShopMy (a competitor to LTK), I’ve been getting a lot more partnerships, but they are very different from the LTK partnerships. ShopMy pays a LOT less– like 5% of the rate– but the requirements are also significantly less. With those partnerships, I get to naturally include brands in my content without going through any pre-approvals. So it’s essentially like getting a little bonus for things I’d share anyway, which is great. But in March (and now April), the volume has ramped up, and it’s just a lot to keep track of.

I’m always so grateful when you shop with the brands I share with because my performance (including clicks and purchases) impacts whether I get future partnerships. Here are some of the brands we worked with in March.  

• Tuckernuck
• Nordstrom Beauty
• Anthropologie
• Nordstrom Rack
• ChappyWrap
• Hanni
• Lands’ End
• UNTUCKit
• ASTR The Label

And my favorite non-sponsored content from March is below!

Blog posts

• The Best Abercrombie Denim Shorts – they’re just SO good.
• The Best Self tanners – if you’d told me 3 years ago that I’d be regularly self-tanning, I wouldn’t believe you but I love it now that I have good options!
• Best White Sneakers – I have quite the collection but honestly wear them all. (And hey, they’re cheaper than golf clubs)
• Left on Friday swimsuit review – spoiler alert – they’re worth the hype. (But my #1 pick for a swimsuit isn’t Left on Friday – see my top pick here.)
• Function Health review – I was honestly shocked by how much I liked this service.

Instagram

• How I organize alllll my photos
• The world’s best UPS man
• Day in the life
• Texting my 5 brothers random updates
• These pictures with Thomas

Alright, I’m going to wrap this up and go get Thomas ready for school! He’s been fighting going so much lately and honestly, I let him stay home a lot because it’s just preschool and he’ll have his whole life where he needs to go. But, I need him to go today since I have a meeting and Bree is off on Fridays. Wish my mom heart luck.

Some of My Favorites