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Happy New Year!… I’m baaaack!

Hello all you wonderful, beautiful friends. I’m back! After a busy end of the year in 2018, I’ve finally rediscovered myself and my desire to start blogging seriously. I’m looking forward getting into the swing of things again and holding myself accountable for this refresh.

More than anything I’m dedicating myself to the process and journey that this blog allows me to have. To connect strong women together through shared interests, hobbies, and experiences is something that I have resolved to prioritize in my life for 2019.

So stay tuned! Things are just getting started!

xx Courtney

#WCW: Cardi B

Is there a person on earth who has yet to listen to Bodak Yellow? Introduce me to that person, I want to change their life. Cardi B came into all of our lives like a hurricane: fast and without mercy and we as a culture have never been the same. Her infectious personality makes you laugh, feel empowered and emulates the ultimate girl crush. In a recent video segment with GQ, she gave her fans a closer look at what makes her tick.

One point really stuck out to me. On more than just a rap or talent level, Cardi B suggests prioritizing happiness and personal passions over becoming successful as an icon. 

“In order to be the Queen of Rap you have to live up to a certain expectation, a certain expectation of lyrics, stuff like that. I do music that makes me feel happy, that I want to bounce to, that I like and love, so I don’t really think about stuff like [being the next queen of rap]”
(4:30 - on being the queen of rap)

Much like Cardi B, my mom taught me from a young age to always do what you love and success will follow. When you work towards reaching your passions and dreams, you will almost always figure out ways to bring them to fruition. Whether this means that you love working with children with special needs or you love managing accounting systems and analyzing spreadsheets, success should not be managed in promotions, titles and monetary gains. Sure these things are nice, but if we can’t look back on our lives and tell ourselves that we were really, genuinely happy then what has it all been for? Ambition is to be celebrated, but what happens when too much hinders our abilities to progress the state of our emotional well-being. Cardi knows and understands that there are other things in life that help bring a more well-rounded sense of success.

She reminds me to put myself first. Map out my dreams and passions and work towards making them a reality. Plan my goals with intention and happiness as my metric instead of superficial titles and bonuses.

So today my #WCW goes to Cardi B - not only just a champion of female hard work from the Bronx, but also a stunning new mother, a quirky girl’s girl, and yes, a newly coronated Queen of Rap.

#WCW: Meghan Markle

This blog was founded on the idea of sisterhood. I want to take a page from Gabrielle Union’s Instagram and utilize Wednesdays to highlight women who I am loving at the moment, who are in the spotlight for all the right reasons. Whether it be a budding businesswoman, a celebrity doing good in the world or a different type of public (or private) figure in our communities, I want to emulate the true nature of women supporting other women. As I get started with this segment I think that the best person to profile is someone that lets you all understand more about who I am and what type of person I wish to channel in my own life. Therefore, for my first #WCW post I’d love to talk about everyone’s new favorite Duchess, HRH The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.

I must admit I was not familiar with Meghan’s work pre-Harry, but as soon as I found out who she was I was smitten. Meghan has built a career not only on her own hard work and ambition, but also on kindness and compassion. She has worked with numerous charities and non-profits championing works against poverty and the progression of women’s rights. She has inspired me personally to get more involved in my own community.

As an LA native we have seen Meghan’s pursuits for acting take her to many different places, finally landing in Toronto, Canada. One thing that I admire about Meghan, is that she always looks put together and stylish regardless of trends throughout the years and the growing reliance of “fast fashions”. Her Toronto years show a lot about where her style evolved today and I frequently use her photos as inspiration for classic, chic and pulled together looks for both my office job and daily casual life.

As a new Duchess, I am incredibly excited to see Meghan get more involved in the public sector - specifically which charities and organizations she chooses to become a patron of. I think that she’s going to be a great influence on Britain’s royal family. She and Kate Middleton together are going to be able to change and mold old and stuffy traditions in a beautiful way, making a historic institution relevant and relatable again.

What are your thoughts on Meghan Markle? Who are you currently crushing on for your #WCW?

The Start of D&R

Welcome! I know it seems like this is just another blog, in another corner of the Internet, but I am hoping to do much, much more with this.

I took my middle name, Duncan, and combined it with my sister’s middle name, Robyn, to create this site “Duncan & Robyn”. It is my belief that the bond between two sisters is truly a strong and unique one - one that I hold near and dear to my heart. I’ve turned to my sister for every big moment in my life. From first beers to first boys, the Robyn to my Duncan has known it all. That’s why I hope that this can act as an extension of that. Where I have something special, a space I call home, a friend I trust immensely, I want this blog to be something similar. A small community of such in the lonely corners of the ‘net where everyone is welcome, where no one feels stupid, and where anyone from anywhere can feel that special feeling of non-judging compassion and love that this Duncan feels from her Robyn. 

So let’s share, let’s laugh, let’s argue and fight (minus the hair pulling - ouch) and at the end of the day let’s all remember that deep down we love each other. 

This is the start of a long and wonderful journey.