fbpx
LoginSHOPshop

The Optimists Journal

Heartfelt Anecdotes and Practical Resources to Help You Create Wellness for Life.

Hi! I’m Wendy, mother of four, writer, and founder of Be Better Media. I am passionate about deep health, sustainable high performance, and human connection. As a lifelong learner, I believe that our own self-awareness is the greatest gift we can give to the next generation. This is my inspiration not to be perfect but to Be Better for myself and for them, every day. I know that it takes courage to reflect and when we are ready, share our stories so that real human connection is possible. This is what I set out to create with my blog, ‘The Optimists Journal’; my podcast, ‘What I Meant to Say’, and the interviews, videos, and other content created and presented by Be Better Media. In my downtime, you’ll find me hanging out with my kids and cats, going to yoga, and playing volleyball on the beach.

I believe that self awareness is the greatest gift we can give to the next generation.

How It All Started

I remember sitting on a patio in 2016, knowing I was at the edge of an impending divorce and feeling my life fall apart at the seams.

My question at the time was "How did I get here?" and "How can I help my kids get through this?" I had always been a journaler, but I started my blog, The Optimists Journal to give my kids a place to go later in life to understand their Mom's thoughts and heart through the myriad of situations that life brings our way.

In so many ways, my blog grew to be my podcast 'What I Meant to Say' because as I released my words to the world, I stepped into a place where for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid to be seen. It was liberating.

So, I wanted to create space for others to have that same experience. If there is one thing I hope comes from the stories we share on 'What I Meant To Say', it is that it becomes a place of connection and growth that we can all experience when we simply take the time to listen.

Check out the podcast!
Wendy Jones

The Rising Tide

Transitions can be hard.  As humans we don’t always like to change, and yet it’s the only inevitable thing in life.  This week I was fortunate to be able to interview two people in my life that I have spent a great deal of time with over the last few years who have been both […]
Read More...
Wendy Jones

Out of the Shadows

“How long have you been standing in the shadows? My whole life.” - Lucas Beineke - The Addams Family  Broadway - always exposing universal truths in the most entertaining ways. Before COVID hit, Kate and I had tickets to Jagged Little Pill in New York, we were going to go before we hit the Atlanta […]
Read More...
Wendy Jones

CULTIVATE CALM

It’s become my mantra to back up my life philosophy and I love the imagery it brings to my mind in just two words.
Read More...
Wendy Jones

Golden Moments

Seven years ago I stood in front of Nono’s jui jitsu on Pier Ave. in Hermosa Beach and watched my kids learn the sport, the girls liked it...the boys, not so much. Either way, it made them tougher and better able to defend themselves even though no one is still wearing a gui today. It […]
Read More...

You may also like...

Freedom on the Open Road

August 1994 - I still remember the feeling of circling in the city. There were no cell phones, I had stopped at a gas station on a busy corner to ask for directions, but the man inside at the counter only spoke Chinese.  I couldn’t find my way across San Francisco to the Golden Gate […]
Read More...

American Together

As we inched our way into the gym last weekend, past vaccination checks and metal detectors, to watch Stanford Men’s Volleyball in their second preseason tournament since the program was reinstated last May, it was glaringly apparent to me how much our world has changed.  If you would have told any of us two years […]
Read More...

Awakening America

I was a Morning in America child of the 80’s.  I grew up listening to the news and writing letters to the editor. Today, I read the paper in the morning because I want a glance at what is relevant,  but unless a major news alert pops up on my phone, the TV is hardly […]
Read More...

Most Viewed

Let it go

Healing…its a concept that I have always understood, but almost from an outsiders perspective.  From the time I was young, I have attracted scenarios in my life where I could provide some type of relief with my words.  Because I am so sensitive to other people’s vibes, I now understand I have to choose what […]
Read More...

Abundance

I write a lot about challenging comfort zones because I have seen the positive effects it has had in my life.  Challenging our limits though can feel like a roller coaster sometimes. For me, it hasn’t been easy to unlearn habits like negative self talk, feelings of less than worthy or simply lacking confidence on […]
Read More...

Generations of Inspiration

Almost 30 years ago, the AVP traveled to Lost Lake in Fresno, where I grew up, and my non-beach community had access to amazing beach volleyball…the crowds for the final were upwards of 25,000 and it was easily over 90 degrees. I came away from those days in the sun with such excitement for the […]
Read More...
crossmenu