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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.
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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

Hope is An Action

While we can all look back and say that 2020 was a year we are happy to see go, it was also the year that taught us about how important human connection is to health […]
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Wendy Jones

The Gift of Growth

I don’t know if it’s 2020 or the stage of life that I have entered, but there hasn’t been a shortage of reality checks in my life this year.  There is a heaviness in my […]
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Wendy Jones

How To Grow Wiser Instead of Older

As I look at the pictures I took on my birthday, I feel pride for what my life has created, for the unique perspective I have on the world, for the things that have transformed […]
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Wendy Jones

How to Mindfully Handle the Politics of our Stories

“I woke up this morning, after a night of restless sleep, with these words in my head. The place we have arrived this holiday season, with restaurants closed, small businesses fighting to keep their doors […]
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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 […]
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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.
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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 […]
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