Five Questions With Maaden Eshete Jones of Citrus + Sugar

What I know for sure is that I'm dedicating my 2018 to loving myself more and that's why I'm excited about organizations like Citrus + Sugar founded by Maaden Eshete Jones and Tennille Daniels.  These fabulous ladies saw a missing element for women of color and have dedicated their time to helping us live purposeful lives. We caught up with creator Maaden Eshete Jones to dig deeper into what Citrus + Sugar is all about.  

What exactly is Citrus + Sugar? 

Citrus + Sugar is a movement created to help women of color live purpose-led and joyful lives. It’s the recipe to turn life’s lemons to lemonade. 

Why was it personally important to you to start it? 

I co-created Citrus + Sugar with one of my good girlfriends and we both came to the evolution around the same time. For me, I worked with women and in public health for over 10 years, and what I’ve found across the board it that women are overwhelmed, tired, and stigmatized when it comes to our mental health. I also have been paralyzed by anxiety and perfectionism in my own life, so the work of Citrus + Sugar began in a personal journey. 

We are living in such toxic times with a constant negative news climate. What's your advice on self care during these times?

If it doesn’t serve you, unplug. And it’s not just from the news it could be a toxic relationship, addiction to comparison on social media, or even a project or job whose season is up. I know me, and I deal with anxiety so I literally don’t watch the news at all — local, international, whatever. If there’s something newsworthy going on my husband will share it with me. He’s my news guy.

So many of our members have incredibly busy lives due to their demanding careers. What are your best ideas on finding balance between career and home? 

Set aside an hour a week to plan. I use Sunday afternoons to schedule my week, it literally just takes like an hour, but it makes my whole week so much smoother. I open my phone calendar and my planner and I mark down all that I have on deck for that week, make adjustments or cancel where things look to tight, block out time for ME (I’ve learned that I don’t always have to be doing something), and I also plan what i will cook for dinner each weeknight — it’s a huge help and has cut down my grocery shopping and food prep time tremendously. We waste less this way too! 

The start of a new year puts a lot of pressure on us to have a variety of goals and resolutions. It can be overwhelming. What's your advice for completing your goals in your own time and not anyone else's?

Start by thinking about what kind of life you want to lead, not just about what you want to DO or accomplish in s given time frame. Then use that imagery or feeling to create a word or theme for the year, and start to think about how to break it down into bite sized action steps. For example, my word for the year is “simplicity” so all my monthly, weekly, or even daily action steps feed back into my living a more simple, well-lived life. Purging my closet, calling old friends, cooking at home, visiting with my parents. There are a ton of great planning tools and goal guides on the market, but an empty journal and a monthly calendar are really all you need to get started on your journey toward living your best life! 

Check out the Citrus + Sugar Podcast here.