The Her VUE blog features inspiring women who share similar core values of staying true to themselves, as well as making conscious choices, from purchasing to creating and living as a whole. This week we spoke with the expert on what it means to be an adult, Katina Mountanos about her vue and how it inspired her to guide others to live a better, conscious life.
Katina Mountanos is the founder of the blog On Adulting, a viral blog and community of nearly 25,000 millennials who are figuring out how to navigate adulthood in a conscious and happy way. She is also the author of the upcoming book On Adulting: How Millennials (And, Any Human Really) Can Work Less, Live More And Bend The Rules For Good, set to release and the end of this month, as well as a mindset coach, startup advisor, and creative entrepreneur. Her work has been featured on HuffPost, Fast Company, Teen Vogue, Elite Daily, Mindbodygreen, among others. She started her career in environmental sustainability at Goldman Sachs, and has since then helped thousands of people transitioning into adulthood and navigating this new phase in their life through her personal journey, coaching, workshops, blog, and other free resources. Mountanos currently lives in New York City with her fiancé and puppy.
Please introduce yourself and tell us more about what you do?
My name is Katina Mountanos, and I'm the founder + author of On Adulting. My mission is to help Millennials (and any human, really) to navigate adulthood in a mindful and happy way. I've built a community of nearly 25,000 millennials around the world and have a book published by Skyhorse Publishing / Simon & Schuster this November 2020.
What’s your Vue? Tell us about your personality and 3 things that really define who you are as a person.
I think my personal mission really aligns with that of On Adulting - to lead a conscious, mindful and happy life. To me, this means that I hope to inspire others through my own actions and values to be more awake in the decisions they make (both personally and collectively), mindful about the way they spend their time and energy, and seeking happiness + fulfillment where they can (while recognizing that all feelings are valid!).
Let’s dive into your look. How would you describe your overall style?
My style has definitely evolved over the years! I love color and bold patterns, but ultimately, I would describe myself as a minimalist who aims to wear clothes that represent my values. I've been moving towards shrinking my closet to simple options and am a proud #outfitprepeater!
Expressing your authenticity is at the core of VUE by SEK, how do you think you express yourself best?
I am on a constant journey to unwinding all my layers in order to be my most authentic self. I have been finding my best self-expression by engaging in creative mediums, because it allows me to really see the world as it could be, not as it is. I co-founded a company called Daydreamers with my fiancé, which helps adults build creative habits for leisure in order to improve their well-being. But, overall I think this mindset of seeking creativity and flow in all I do allows me to express myself in the highest way across all parts of my life.
How do you like to waste your time?
Love this question! I'm a huge advocate of being "unproductive" and really leaning into creating space for yourself to simply be. So, I have a lot of rituals around slowing down and "wasting my time" if we want to call it that! I meditate every day and spend time each morning organizing my space, caring for my plants and doing things other than scrolling on social media. I find those practices to be helpful for my own mental health and even my productivity. I also love spending time being creative, like painting for fun or cooking with my partner (though I'm not very good at either, which I think is awesome regardless!). Lastly, I really love practicing this concept of Inspiration Dates, which is setting aside time to explore - whether that's a new bookstore in my neighborhood or going on a road trip.
Where should we follow you?
I would love to connect with you all! You can find me on social (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tiktok) at @onadulting. You can also read my blog posts and purchase my book at onadulting.com. Lastly, I send out a fun, short weekly newsletter called SUNDAY SCARIES with my favorite mantras, tools + stuff I'm loving - you can sign up here.