No makeup, no filters, what’s left of hair coloring, all raw and exposed as I embark on my next 5 months until my 50th birthday.

These photos were taken prior to my first microneedling treatment with acupuncturist & licensed esthetician Tracie Endelson at my clinic Elevate Wellness Center. My goal is to do one treatment once a month to reduce my fine lines and wrinkles, promote cellular turnover and collagen and elastin production and fade out some of the sun damage from all the years of swimming and surfing and playing in the sun.

As a licensed acupuncturist with an emphasis in functional medicine women’s health, I have an array of natural lifestyle and therapeutic approaches to aging gracefully. Do I do all of them myself? Nope. Am I perfect in my personal approach? Nope.

My journey is about transparency. The difficult decision, conflicts and emotions we wrangle as we age. I’m not really that into showing myself on social media as it makes me uncomfortable. I’d rather show off all the cool stuff my kids do. I’m challenging myself to put myself out there as I don’t share this journey alone. I know many women who are seeking perfection and the wisdom to stopping the aging process. I’m here to put it out there including the experiments, the imperfections, the flaws that have made me who I am.

I’m learning every day on how to best care for myself so that these next 30-maybe even 50 can be full of ease and grace. I hope you’ll follow along on the journey. Maybe we’ll learn a few things!