Caleb’s Newsletter

It’s hard to believe it’s only been two weeks since the last newsletter … so much has happened!

My life has been extra chaotic recently. Last week, I was in five different states over the span of five days.

Most of the trips were for work, but one was for a family wedding and I got to see my 93-year-old grandma! I picked her up at her nursing home in Connecticut and we drove to Vermont to watch my cousin get married.

She takes life one step at a time because that’s all she really can do. Hanging out with her was a good reminder to slow it down sometimes.

In case you missed my recent content …

I spent some time in Tennessee for one of the coolest home tours I’ve done so far. Jeff Garner, who’s a renowned designer and creates sustainable, eco-friendly fashion, had me over to his farm. He’s the real deal. This man was knighted for his work in sustainable fashion!

Before meeting Jeff, I didn’t realize that most clothing we wear is actually bad for us and our skin. His mission is to raise awareness around the toxins found in the fabric that makes up much of our everyday clothing. He started his own eco-label, Prophetik, to offer fashionable clothes that don’t harm our bodies and the environment.

He encouraged me to start by switching out two essential items: underwear and bedding. Ideally, you want all of your clothing to be made from natural fabrics, but these are two good items to start with. And it makes sense: If you’re sleeping eight hours a night, that’s a lot of time your skin could be exposed to toxins!

He also taught me how to dye clothes with tree bark. You scrape bark off of a tree (make sure it’s a dead one to protect the living ones!), boil the bark in water, and it creates a natural dye!

What I like about Jeff is that he actually lives what he preaches. He hand-built most everything inside of his home and tries to live off the land as much as possible.

Another fun fact about Jeff: He eats three acai bowls a day.

Another one of my recent trips was to Atlanta to meet Dwight Howard!

As a sports fan, this was pretty surreal.

The backstory is, Dwight started posting a lot on TikTok and I started commenting on his videos … He eventually DM’d me and said to come on over. So I got on a flight to Atlanta that week. That’s the thing with some of these big celebs: They’re so busy that if they say “come on over,” I have to act quickly. If not, the opportunity might pass me by.

We didn’t shoot hoops but we did hug the same tree. Dwight loves nature and animals. He has a number of snakes, including an anaconda! He also has a huge garden and a private lake.

Home products spotlight!

I tour a lot of homes and see a lot of neat items while doing it! Here are some that caught my eye the past couple of weeks.

Metal Wall Mounted Clothes Rack: $33

Functional and sleek.

100% Organic Hemp Bed Sheets: $350

Update your sheets with a Jeff-approved set.

Drawer Microwave: $1,899

You might have noticed one of these in Dwight Howard’s kitchen …

Minimalist LED Floor Lamp: $90

Ask me anything!

This week’s question: How do you stay grounded and not go completely insane when traveling so much?

It’s tough, for sure, but exercise is the one constant in my life. I try to wake up and be active every morning.

I’ve also come to terms with the fact that sometimes I’m going to get tired – and it’s better to respect that than to ignore it. When I’m exhausted, I allow myself to take a nap or go to bed a little earlier.

On the flip side, when I have good energy, I take advantage of it. I dial in, focus, and maximize the hours when I’m feeling high-energy, instead of goofing off (which is tempting sometimes).

What I’m looking forward to …

I have a small break from travel and will be home in New York for the next two weeks! I’ll be logging as many miles as I can … the New York City Marathon is less than a month away (November 5th) and I have some serious training to do … :)