Week in Review #25: New year, new studio

Our new space, thoughts on diet culture, 4 big life decisions, recent looks, plus some things to listen to and read this month.

I love that this is my 25th Week in Review and also the first newsletter I’m sending in 2025. Those little things in life always make me smile. This week was a big one, not only because we took a family trip up to my favorite place — Carmel & Big Sur — but also because we finally got the keys to our new studio space for Natalie Borton Designs. It will function as a shop, office space and a warehouse all in one, and it’s such a cute building. Absolute dream come true!

While I’m back to work, I’m definitely still savoring the slowness of the holiday season before reality really hits me next week. The first week of the year doesn’t really count, right?!

Before we jump into the rest of today’s newsletter, I have to address one giant elephant in the room this month — diet culture. Every January, it slips back into the spotlight, full of promises of "new year, new you." It’s everywhere—at the gym, in conversations about resolutions, all over social media, and it even seems to show up in church sermons without fail.

When I was younger, I didn’t even recognize how sneaky it was, how these messages could so slyly work their way into our minds, convincing us that our worth is tied to how we look or how “disciplined” we can be with what we eat. In my late teens, I fell deep into those messages, eventually being clinically diagnosed with anorexia when I was 19 years old. It was a dark and isolating time, one I’m grateful to have left behind and one that I don’t wish on anyone. But even now, when someone mentions starting a Keto or Carnivore diet or cutting carbs, it stirs up something in me. Those diet culture scripts still have the power to trigger, even when you’ve done the work to move past them.

What’s helped me isn’t another diet or a “better” set of rules to follow — it’s the practice of Intuitive Eating and years of practicing self-acceptance. Letting go of the idea that food needs to be earned or that my body has to meet a certain standard has been freeing, though far from easy. Self-acceptance doesn’t mean complacency, and rejecting diet culture doesn’t mean rejecting health. For me, it’s about understanding the real meaning of health, which is so much more than how “clean” we eat or what size our jeans are — focusing on how I feel, not how I look, and treating my body with kindness, love and respect rather than punishment and control.

As we step into this new year, I hope we can shift the conversation away from quick fixes and rigid rules toward a more compassionate approach to ourselves. Real health is dynamic — it’s about nourishing our bodies and our minds, honoring what feels good for us personally, and trusting ourselves to know that what we need isn’t necessarily the same as someone else.

Cheers to 2025 — I think it’s going to be a good one!

xx
Natalie

Thought of the Week

via @mattgottesman

A Quick Peek at Our HQ

As I already mentioned, we got the keys to our new space this week and I am absolutely on Cloud 9. Pinch meeeeee that this is really our studio!! I will continue to share the progress as we get it furnished and ready, but until then, here are a few peeks:

Moments from Our Trip to Carmel & Big Sur

I never fail to feel inspired and energized by my time here. It’s a home away from home, and it was so much fun to bring our kids here with us for the first time and see it through their eyes.

A quick overview:

• Stayed at Le Petit Pali on 8th (favorite!!)

• Dinner at La Bicyclette, which an essential on every visit for me.

• Shopped around town, most notably at Wally’s, TEJIDO, House of Cardoon and Thinker Toys.

• Drove down the coast to Big Sur, stopping at Bixby Bridge on the way to lunch at The Sur House.

• Dinner at Valley Kitchen (located at Carmel Valley Ranch)

• Spent a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

2 Podcast Episodes for You

I’m new to Mel Robbins’ podcast, and recently listened to two episodes that were excellent and I wanted to pass along to you — definitely worth your time!

• The One Tool to Transform Your Relationships: The Let Them Theory

• How to Make Next Year the Best Year Yet: Ask Yourself These 7 Questions

What I’m Reading This Week

• FICTION: The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave (got my copy via Book of the Month, which I’ve subscribed to since 2020! Still my favorite way to discover books)

• NON-FICTION: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Hope you have a great weekend — until next time!

xx
Natalie

P.S. You might also like…

My 2025 "No Buy"

38 Things I’ve Learned in 38 Years

What I Packed for 36 Hours in Toronto

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