Nomadic Tech Cowgirl, Pregnancy Curious, and a Happy Birthday

All Their Things Interview with Ruby Chandler.

You’re reading the latest installment of The All Their Things Interview Series. These special entries are where I feature creative, curious, purpose-driven people I love and admire. They conversationally answer 4 questions, I contribute to the convo via footnotes, and they wrap it up with the All The Things You’re Into section, which are 3-5 personal recommendations because learning about books, brands, music, and other small joys from other people is a tiny spark that keeps hope alive.

Two interviews back-to-back is correct because Ruby Chandler and Kate Moore being side by side is the nature of things. And because it is officially Gemini season, there is nothing better than featuring another near and dear Gem in my life (one in which I also first met in that sweaty yoga studio basement).

Ruby has always been my wise friend. I don’t think I ever actually registered I was older than her until like a year ago. She carries herself with such grace, such knowing, and so much love that it’s almost impossible not to want to snuggle next to her and let her tell you the secrets of the universe.

She’s also the friend that no matter how much time passes, we reconnect immediately and pick up where we left off without a moment’s hesitation. And this is especially true as she has been giving 100% commitment to #vanlife and traveling all over.

The balance of depth and levity that she brings to all the creative endeavors she touches are a gift to watch and receive. And today is her actual birthday so read on to bask in her Gemini Sun rays!

Introduce yourself and all the things you do IRL and on the internet.

Howdy, I’m Ruby aka life with ruby aka honeytrucker. I’m a Gemini, which is only important inasmuch as it helps explain how all over the place I am, how terrible I am at keeping secrets, and how many lives I feel like I’ve lived in my mere 34 years.

Presently I live in a van on the road with my partner, Jake, but Georgia will always be home for both of us. Together we run an AgTech company and are in the midst of ironing out an exciting business opportunity I can’t say anything more about yet! The Yoga Studio Owner Wellness Girlie to Nomadic Tech Cowgirl pipeline was not on my life bingo card LOL but here we are, and I’m having so much fun.

Unrelated, I recently started an indie seasonal magazine called honeytrucker to practice shaping my experience and knowledge as a yoga instructor, ayurvedic health counselor, life coach, and multi-disciplinary artist into a tangible offering. The third volume, The Red Issue, drops on the first day of summer (June 21).

My presence online is ever-evolving (as I am notorious for taking on too much all at once!), but the thread remains: I believe in going deeper through sustainable becoming, the art of living, embodied aesthetic, and Creatorship.

What are you grieving, celebrating, or simply feeling these days?

Let me tell you. I am having a moment! Here I am, freshly 34 as of today, and I want so much more out of life. Yet– there’s already been so much. There should be a word for the feeling that arises in that. I can sense the threshold. I’ve been lingering there for a while now, between who I was, who I built myself to be in my twenties, and who I’m becoming, what life’s shaping into in my thirties. There was so much giving, proving, hustling, and I felt very alive in that. Now, I’m drawing back and dialing in.

Getting okay with not expressing everything outwardly, which is very challenging for me.¹ Looking forward in a different way as we envision our future and pre-prepare to expand our family. All of that. If I think too much about things, I feel lost. I get existential fast and possess an urgent desire to figure things out. I’ve decided it works better for me when I stop trying so hard in search for a solution.

There’s no solution, girlfriend; this is just life. I’m stoked to be 34.

What’s a brand you love and what do you love about it?

Everyday Oil² – I just ran out, and I already miss it so much! I found this brand years ago because a yoga student told me it made them think of me and that I’d like it. Founded by Emma Allen in North Carolina, they’ve grown and evolved over the years, AND maintained integrity and simplicity in what they offer.

My biggest brand peeve is when a company starts to grow and they try to do too much or they change the quality of their product. Everyday Oil started with one scent and now offers four. My favorite is their original, Main Stay, but I’m a fan of every scent, and the quality continues to prove reliable. The few products they sell all make sense alongside the oil, and it all aligns with their core values.

Everyone needs some Everyday Oil!

What’s a creature comfort you’ll never give up, no matter how minimalist you aspire to be?

Are adornments a creature comfort? Like clothes, shoes and jewelry? I think so.

I have daydreams of having a true capsule wardrobe– that would be so chic of me. I live in a van, so this is the closest I’ve come to tapering my closet. When we moved into the van everyone was like, “You won’t even miss the clothes you don’t pack.” Wrong. I love knowing there are more outfits to choose from in our storage unit, even when we’re thousands of miles away.

I’m an excellent packer, though, so it’s easy to make due. I have plenty of options. I brought most of my jewelry. It doesn’t take much to elevate a look. Still, sometimes I wish I had that one impractical thing. After college I did a huge closet purge. I got rid of a huge bin of shoes: heels, flats, sandals, boots. I immediately regretted it. I think about that often.³

C’est la vie. One day I’ll have my reboot season Carrie Bradshaw closet…

What’s one belief, value, or worldview that’s shifted for you in the last few years? What sparked the change?

In and around 2020 I got swept up in the notion that if someone isn’t publicly addressing a world event, they’re complicit, ignorant, and/or lacking compassion. I took it as my responsibility to make sure I didn’t become the bad guy.⁴

First of all, that was exhausting. Also, inhumane and tone-deaf, and for what? Most of what gets circulated ends up being less about collective awareness and more about virtue signaling. Re-posting a story doesn’t equate to contribution.⁵

Letting myself out of that loop freed up so much mental space.⁶ I still struggle with the lack of control over how I’m perceived online, but the cost of trying to control that through always having something to say about everything in the entire world is too great for me and not worth my energy.

ALL THE THINGS YOU’RE INTO

1. Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash – read this for a book club I’m part of and laughed out loud so many times! An absurd and entertainingly hyperbolic depiction of dysfunctional family dynamics, and yet it satisfies with wholesome feels and surprising hopefulness. Easy to read. Deep, but not, and not meant to be taken too seriously.⁷

2. Love on the Spectrum – every season! – we are not much of a tv household. This is one of our favorite shows!

3. Morning pages – Legit doing these every day, 3 pages handwritten, as Julia prescribes, is magic if/when you’re ready for it! I say that because I’ve tried before and it didn’t stick, but this time I decided. It’s a daily scrubbing, a connection to my artist within, and a commitment that reminds me to be my own priority.

4. Hear me out – bagged salad kits with add ons of your choice.⁸ There’s an Asian one that we add canned tuna, peanuts, a dollop of mayo and chili crisp to that so yum and nourishing. Easy way to get more veggies, low to no-fuss, and perfect size for two adult portions.

5. Being pregnancy curious – saw my OBGYN last month, started a prenatal, got Chat to give me and my husband some protocol suggestions for intentional prep, and I just started a Perinatal CPT course to fulfill the hourly requirement to keep my NASM personal training certification.

6. Honorable mention: BOILED EGGS

Honorable Mention is right. Photo via unsplash.

The Red Issue of Ruby’s seasonal, indie magazine honeytrucker comes out June 21st. And as collaborations work, I’ll be contributing to that issue just as Ruby has contributed to my publication. Be sure to check it out.

Another thing I love and respect about Ruby is that she’s online in various places (Instagram, Substack, Website) but is not always active.

Happiest of birthdays Ruby! Cheers to your next trip around the sun, all the places you will explore, and all the ways your beaming spirit will shine.

If you connected with this or it felt relatable, giving it a “like” or sharing directly with a friend is so very appreciated. You can catch up on my other thoughts about boobs, mothering, the internet, and finding meaning in it all until the next one arrives. <3

1. Me and you both, babe! I remind myself a lot more lately “Just keep this for you. You don’t need to say it all out loud.”

2. Rubes is the first to answer this question which gives us all a bonus All The Things You’re Into Rec. Yes please!

3. I relate to this. My regrets are geared more towards the impractical things I talked myself out of purchasing. Like the rabbit fur-lined vest I found at a mall in Florida a week before my wedding. Some days I really wish I had that to toss over a tshirt and leggings to be chic AF.

4. 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️

5. 💯💯

6. Thank you for saying this out loud.

7. Just got 5 books out from the library, but this is definitely going on my TBR and book club suggestion list!

8. Co-sign on this 1000%