Romanticizing Your Life
From Chasing Brighter Podcast: Choosing Real Over Perfect by Jessica Colarco and Kelly Fox
June 4, 2026 · 14 min · Season 5 · Episode 34
About this episode
In this episode, Jessica and Kelly discuss the true meaning of romanticizing life beyond aesthetics, focusing on attention and intentional living.
You've seen the aesthetic — the linen aprons, the cottagecore feeds, the slow-morning coffee rituals on Instagram. But what does romanticizing your life actually mean when real life is messy, busy, and full? In this episode, Jessica and Kelly strip the concept down to its honest core: noticing what's already there, claiming it, and refusing to let it slip past you on autopilot. Jessica opens with the story of Athlete Jessica — the competitive, hard-working girl she was growing up — who quietly faded somewhere around 2012 and who she's been getting back, one Orange Theory treadmill push at a time. Kelly digs into the ancient roots of this idea (and a book obsession that led to a surprisingly joyful laundry practice). Together they explore how the real practice isn't about pretty things — it's about orientation, attention, and deciding your ordinary life is worth paying attention to. What We Cover Why romanticizing your life has nothing to do with aesthetics — and everything to do with attention Jessica's story of losing (and reclaiming) her athlete identity over more than a decade The difference between living intentionally and just performing your life Kelly's post-book laundry…
People in this episode
Hosts: Jessica Colarco, Kelly Fox
Topics covered
- romanticizing life
- intentional living
- self-identity
- mindfulness
- savoring
- family rituals
Keywords
- romanticizing life
- intentional living
- savoring
- family dinners
- mindfulness
- self-identity
- laundry practice
- ordinary life
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: cottagecore feeds
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