Bags & Joy: Get Inspired to Live Your Dream

Welcome TWLOHA blog readers! It was such an honor to be featured on the twloha site last week. If you missed it, please do check it out and give it a little tweet action if you dig it...Hello from United flight #6453!I'm on my way to Minneapolis from Denver right now, and I find that I'm experiencing this same feeling in nearly every city I visit. This bit of sadness to be leaving the amazing cities and people I meet along the way, mixed with the excitement of meeting new amazing people and hearing their inspiring stories.I'm only on city number 9, and I already feel like my family has at least doubled.I wanted to take a little bit of time to talk about just a couple of the amazing people I've met along the way, and hopefully their inspirational stories can fuel you to keep creating your own hero story.First of all, I'd like to talk about the amazing Eve Whitaker of Rowve. I was lucky enough to be connected with Eve through the editor of my 30x30 indiegogo video, Mr. Alex Gans.As soon as I talked to Eve for the first time, I knew we would be friends for a long time. This woman is so full of life, and such  a DOER. YOu'll see what I mean in just a second. :)Let's go into some back story...Eve has been a hot yoga instructor for about 2 years now, but has been practicing for 13 years. She found that every bag she'd use would get ruined or start smelling horrible (if you've ever taken a hot yoga class, you know that smell all too well).She was taken aback when she would see all the participants using plastic bags to cart off their sweat-soaked clothes in an attempt to save their yoga bags. Eve had always grown up in a green household, and knew that the use of disposable plastic bags caused unnecessary waste and endangered wildlife, a cause she's deeply passionate about.Eve knew there had to be a better way to solve this problem for the thousands of people who practice hot yoga worldwide (or any sport that leaves clothes wet and sweaty for that matter). She wanted to decrease waste created by all these plastic bags, as well as create a solution for the reusability of yoga bags that have for so long been destroyed by the effects of that swimming-in-a-pool-of-your-own-sweat classes she loves so dearly.She asked her mom–whom she'd always been close with–to design a bag that could effectively house sweaty yoga duds, and not get soaked, stinky or cause waste.When Eve brought her first bag to yoga with her, she received an extraordinary reception. The inside is lined with cotton laminate so that it doesn't soak up sweat or start to stink, and it's easy to wipe out and washable with soap and water. People were blown away by the fact that no one had even thought about this yet!Eve and her mom started producing them for her yoga studio, and then branched out to the Denver yoga community.Rowve officially launched online in September of 2012 and has already been offered national distribution company, but Eve and her mom decided to keep it smaller and do the selling themselves so they could focus on quality control and customer connections.Something that really needs to be said here: these bags aren't strictly utilitarian; they're actually super cute! In fact, they're not just for yoga at all. They come in a multitude of patterns and sizes, and I personally use them for collecting cash donations and for storing laundry along my tour route (not in the same bag, don't worry). The messenger bags have a strap to carry your yoga bag, but when not in use, looks just like a normal everyday bag... ok, maybe a bit cuter. ;)In addition to their green motivations, Rowve is committed to keeping the manufacturing in the USA. And this all comes down to the core values of the mother-daughter team behind Rowve; everything they do is community-based. They keep everything quality-controlled and grass-roots-oriented, which I strongly admire.What I find most inspirational about the story of Rowve is that Eve didn't get caught up in excuses for why she couldn't create this company. She didn't wait for permission to act. In fact, she turned down a major online outlet so that she could keep managing the company and quality closely.Eve is a doer. She found a problem and created a solution, and that–I believe–will lead her to much success.This mother-daughter team went above and beyond to create this community event in Denver with me. Had I not met Eve, Denver wouldn't have worked out this time around. She took me under her wing, coordinated space and promotion, and even offered her usual yoga class time to host the bootcamp.Beyond the grassroots values of Rowve, Eve's mom is a social worker, and strongly resonated with the cause behind 30x30. So much so, that they extended their generosity and kindness beyond the event and told me of their interest in partnering to benefit TWLOHA. It is my distinct pleasure to tell you about this special incentive available to Strong Inside Out readers and 30x30 Project participants...

For every bag sold at Rowve.com, 25% of the sales price will be donated to To Write Love On Her Arms. Just write "30x30" in the notes section, and the donation will go straight to the charity.

...Aaand because that wasn't enough apparently, Eve's mom also threw in that every like Rowve receives on their Facebook page from here until the end of the 30x30 project tour, Rowve will donate one dollar to To Write Love On Her Arms. Click here to see the page.

Please feel free to share either option with friends!I know this part of the post might sound salesy, I want to reinforce the fact that I personally won't be making any money from these sales. All the donations go straight to TWLOHA, and I'm willing to sound a little pushy for this awesome cause. It's kinda my life at the moment. ;)Eve's simple act of doing without waiting for permission is extremely inspirational to me. I hope it fuels your fire, too.Another mind-blowingly invigorating woman I met in the beginning of my tour is someone you may have seen me interacting with on Twitter.This woman is inspiring in her motivation to bring happiness and joy to the world through photography. Eyoälha Baker is the face behind the Jump for Joy Photo Project.Right now, Eyoälha is taking pictures all over the world of people expressing happiness in it's most raw form.In her own words, "It is my hope that by  capturing the expression of joy  in the lives of all people through the simple act of  jumping for joy, we can be reminded that  humanity can come together as one."Try to be negative when jumping in the air. Just try. It's pretty much impossible.I was lucky enough to meet Eyoälha when I was in Vancouver. We actually didn't start talking until the day we met. I was introduced to her via Twitter by a friend of mine, Jason Mueller, and it was one of those instances when you just don't ask questions. You just do it.Excuses go out the window, and you know that this is supposed to happen.Eyoälha reached out to me and asked if I would like to collaborate in her Jump for Joy project by... you guessed it... jumping for joy."Heck. Yes!" was my answer. I mean, this is what I'm all about! Capturing unbridaled enthusiasm and being active at the same time?! I'm an automatic in.The shoot was one of the most fun days I've had on tour so far. Eyoälha's enthusiasm shines through when she's shooting. She experiences all that joy and love right along with you. In fact, we were asked to leave this location because we were getting too loud in all our excitement. Whoopsies.

The project is an amazing idea. We all need a little more joy in our lives. How awesome would it be to pull out a book and experience these photos of joy to rev up those moments that you really need the lift? That's exactly what Eyoälha is working to create.Her vision is to create an art photo book of 1,000 images of jumping for joy. And here's the cool thing: you may be able to be part of it!Eyoälha will be traveling across the world here pretty soon and looking for people along the way to jump for joy with her. If you're interested, read more and reach out by clicking here.Doers taking action. Communities being formed and growing together. Joy being captured and shared. These are all inspiring acts that remind us that achieving our dreams are possible. These women are doing it. You can, too.I'd love to start one big happy share-fest right here on Strong Inside Out to inspire more action in each of our lives.

In the comments below, tell us what you're starting, and one action step you're going to take this week to do it.

No matter where you are in your journey toward your dream, there is something to write here. Don't hold back! We're here to support and encourage you. That's what Strong Inside Out is all about.And in tour news, hope's coming your way midwest! Here's where 30x30 will be in the next couple of weeks:MINNEAPOLIS 4-1/4-2lululemon athletica West End1639 West End BlvdMinneapolis Minnesota 55416Monday morning at 6:30 amMovement MeetupBull Run Coffee3346 Lyndale Ave SMinneapolis, MN 554087:00 pmBonus Bootcamp with Lisa Van Ahn!The OM Collective3350 Lyndale Ave SMinneapolis, MN 55408Tuesday morning at 6:00 amCHICAGO 4-4lululemon athletica Rush St.930 N. Rush St.Chicago Illinois 606116:30 pmMovement MeetupTempo Cafe6 E Chestnut StChicago, IL 606117:45 PMMILWAUKEE 4-6Special Warehouse event @ Moct240 East Pittsburgh AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53204Movement MeetupScreaming Tuna106 W Seeboth StreetMilwaukee, WI 5320411:30 amClick here to see the full map of cities and dates.Can't wait to sweat this hope out into the world with you all. See you out there.With hope and fire,Amy