Headbands and Being in Over Your Head
Even just a little bit
I was thrilled when Shannon Sarna came on Life’s Accessories, The Podcast with her evil eye headband. It was actually the first headband to appear on the pod, which is a bit surprising. I have a love/hate relationship with headbands. I think they look super cute on and they do a great job of keeping your hair out of your face, which is good for someone like Shannon who is a prolific cook, baker, cookbook author editor and communications professional.
I wish I could make headbands work on my head, but the thing is, they kind of hurt my head. I get an actual headband headache, and so I stopped wearing them about ten years ago. I miss them.
Shannon has this very cool evil eye headband which she wears to events and also as a modern day head covering for synagogue. Love that! I think we could all use a little extra protection in the form of evil eyes these days. She got her headband on Etsy which is where I purchased my Life’s Accessories sweater that I just happened to be wearing the day we recorded.
It’s Always Good to be in A Little Over Your Head
Shannon says that when she first started planning for her first cookbook, Modern Jewish Baker, she had no idea what she was doing — her words not mine. Shannon said she said yes and then figured it out. This philosophy seems to have worked for her in her varied, and might I saw amazing, career of launching and running The Nosher, writing two cookbooks, started a fellowship program to elevate Jewish voices in the food media landscape and most recently becoming chef Dan Richer’s “chief of staff” at Razza Pizza, voted the best pizza in New York (even though it’s in New Jersey.) NBD.
As Shannon’s career evolved, she just kept putting the next foot forward, learned as she did and tried out new things like shooting her own photos for her first cookbook, adapting recipes in innovative ways, oh and bringing her baby along with her to publisher meetings when pitching her first cookbook.
I had a boss from when I worked in magazine publishing years ago who told me that it is always good to be in a little over your head. She said that you never want to be bored or complacent in what you are doing. Sure, the next thing always seems scary, but that is how we grow and learn and just really become stronger and better people.
I so believe this to be true and have seen this statement in action time and time again in the stories and lives of people I have interviewed. I also think of that boss’s advice at every step I have taken along the way. Being in over my head (even just a little bit!) feels yes overwhelming at times but also completely amazing.
Listen to my conversation with Shannon and you will see what I am talking about. Shannon continues to try new things, sometimes in a headband, sometimes hair pulled back and sometimes hair down. I get it. My hair is in many styles every day depending on what I am doing, but I often feel the most productive when it is pulled back off of my face. Shannon may have even inspired me to go back to headbands. I feel like they must have some out there (perhaps on Etsy?) that don’t hurt your head.
Think of what could happen, what we could all accomplish with our proverbial hair pulled back out of our faces, being in just a bit over our heads?!