Nicole Bensen

the Tea Time blog

Welcome to

Hi friend! I’m sharing something a little different today.  You’re here because you want to create your best life: increase joy, set boundaries, feel worthy beyond accomplishments, but NOT at the sake of trading your hard-earned career/status for wellbeing, right? Not today, burnout. Maybe you’ve grabbed my tools like:  If it’s on your vision board to […]

This week I’m popping in with a quick note and a TED talk recommendation: Where joy hides and how to find it by Ingrid Fetell Lee. As someone who’s gotten the side eye 👀 for being an adult wearing a tulle dress or Disneybounding or dressing for the season, I resonated with this quote: “As we get older, being colorful or exuberant opens us […]

My kids started school last week, and Starbucks released all the pumpkin spice goodies—summer is officially coming to a close (unless you’re reading this in Australia). September to December is my favorite time of year, so a couple years ago I created a “Fall Joy List” to savor the season. (“Savoring life’s joys” is 1 […]

If you missed my note about hiding your joy/success/wins to make others more comfortable, catch up here. It has been, by far, a note that has resonated more deeply with many. Here are some of the responses (shared with permission): From someone who has a child going through surgeries and radiation (among other exploratory treatments) for […]

Do you hide your joy to make others more comfortable? Let’s commit to supporting AND celebrating ourselves (and friends)?

We often think we have to wait for something great for us to feel awe. What if I told you it’s easier? Here is your awe-some permission slip.

As I write this, I’m sitting in the gorgeous lounge of the Solage Spa in Calistoga on Monday morning. (How serene is this spot?!) I’m practicing some self-care and participating in a yoga/spa day. In about an hour I’ll be doing a 90-minute yoga class, followed by a hot tub break and lunch, and then […]

Holding my son on the beach.

Is there something you’ve been procrastinating? I’m not saying skip the research, but just try imagining what it would be like if it were easy.

Nicole Bensen Curated Conversations Podcast

Listen to this podcast interview with Nicole Bensen and Rosemary Watson about the path to becoming a happiness and wellbeing expert.

In this podcast interview, Heidi asked me to share my top 3 tips for developing happiness and joy, and I couldn’t help but over-deliver and share 5 simple, fun ways to get happier TODAY. We demonstrated what it would feel like to fill out one of the prompts in my mood-boosting journal, and Heidi said, […]