Lynn Fleshman | The Grit and Grace Project

Running with Grit and Grace in Hot Pink Spandex

By Lynn Fleshman / Health & Beauty, Life & Culture

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of beginner runners on the topic of motivation. Why would I receive such an invitation? Well, because I’m about the world’s least likely and most enthusiastic runner. Especially running with grit and grace. I’m all of 5-feet-2-inches high (on a tall day), I weigh in around one hundred and sexy (which happens to be 20ish pounds more than my doctor thinks is necessary), and I faked asthma to get out of gym class in middle school. Nevertheless, I’ve conquered numerous 5Ks, several half marathons, a full marathon, and a triathlon. One of the reasons I’m asked to help motivate beginners is because of my—ahem—non-athletic appearance; it instantly qualifies me […]

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5 Must Ask Questions For a New Roommate

By Lynn Fleshman / Relationships

Maybe you’re about to get your dream apartment with your college besties or maybe you’re crossing your fingers and setting up house with people you’ve just met. Either way, new living situations call for some late-night Target runs (yay!) with your new roommate and a few uncomfortable, but necessary, conversations (boo). I’ve lived in multiple dorms, apartments, houses, and one trailer park, and over the years, I’ve learned a few things about how to start off on the right foot with new roommates. There are some pitfalls you’ll want to avoid and a few things you can do proactively to make home a happy and peaceful space for all of you. So text your future roommates, schedule a time to meet at

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Coffee & Conversation: How to Connect With a Friend

By Lynn Fleshman / Relationships

Like the rotating menu of lattes at Starbucks, every season has it’s own flavor of busyness. Each one can shake up our schedules (and our budgets), and life gets busy fast! My calendar is full to the brim with commitments, parties, and family trips, and my brain is reeling with dozens of Pinterest projects that will cost me approximately $1 million dollars to make but will definitely help me save money…or something. During such times, it is all too easy to push friendships to the back burner. And even when we manage to carve out brief blocks to meet with friends for coffee or a play date at Chick-fil-a, those breaks from the craziness quickly turn into complaint sessions. We allow ourselves to

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10 Tips for Cheap DIY Summer Fun

By Lynn Fleshman / Life & Culture

I’ll put my cards on the table and tell you all up front—I don’t love summer. I do love my birthday, which happens to be in the summertime! But I don’t love sweating and bug bites and not being able to start the dang weed-eater. However, I have made an effort the past couple of years to enjoy summer when it rolls around by making a list of fun things to do and referring to it throughout the season. And because I am a penny-pincher, you won’t have to sweat your bank account balance to pull off these ideas. All ten will only set you back $10 or less. (Side note: I make no apologies for the number of times ice cream is

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