Meet Denise, Addison Bay’s girl of November! She is one of Addison Bay’s biggest fans and supporters, so it was only right to honor her this month. She exudes positivity and confidence on a daily basis and her busy lifestyle serves as inspiration for everyone around her to strive to do more each and every day! Her friends, family, and the Addison Bay team cannot get enough of her upbeat energy and she is so excited to share it with all of you. Check out AB’s interview with Denise below to learn more about this absolute girl boss!
Denise Drake is a born and raised Philly girl. She is currently living the perfect balance of part time stay at home mom and part time social media director for her husband's jewelry business. She has spent 40 fabulous years on this earth and is always trying new adventures!
At 40, she realized her body needs multiple forms of fitness to stay strong. She loves cardio and strength training, but her true passion has been yoga and pilates @ppyogathrive and @jtownhotyoga. The mental strength and sense of balance gained over the past 2 years focusing on yoga and pilates has changed her life in ways she never could have imagined. She says she is a better mom, wife, friend, and overall human being because of it and hopes to keep practicing for years to come!
When asked about her biggest accomplishment in life, she said it is without a doubt being a mom. Her journey to this point in her life was not easy. It involved fertility issues, divorce, lots of grieving, and more mistakes than she will ever admit to. But once she stopped feeling sorry for herself and began living a more balanced life, all good things started to come. She met an amazing man and they have created a beautiful life. They were able to have a child together, and she is beautiful and smart and funny and feisty. She always says that being her mom pushes her want to be better in everything she does.
Her biggest piece of advice to young girls would be to believe in self care early on. “Your body and your mental health need to come first, and then you can give to everyone else. Sometimes this means stopping the excuses....go to the gym at 5am if you have to. Stop eating SO much damn sugar, and realize that the food you eat CREATES YOUR ATTITUDE for the day. Do not give so much of yourself to others, and only focus on the people (and that includes family too) who bring positive energy to your life. The world is full of negative people and haters. Learn to create a bubble around yourself, and realize that those people will not change. There are so many amazing people in this world. FIND THEM.”
She has confessed to being an Addison Bay addict and practically lives in it. All day AB outfits are her go-to. She loves to shop, workout, and run throughout her day in the Ab matching sets and comfy sweatshirts. She is also obsessed with Mother jeans and her absolute favorite designers are Alexis and Veronica Beard.
On a typical day, Denise can be spotted at playdates, either at friends' houses or field trips, like Please Touch and Adventure Aquarium. When she’s not spending time with her daughter, you can usually find her doing social media posts with insanely fabulous jewelry or at the gym. She is always on the go from place to place!
When asked what it means to be an AB girl, her response was “Supporting small businesses. Period. My husband and I own a small business and we compete with top names. When you choose to shop small, you are believing in someone's dream, and we make a conscious effort to pay that forward. Being AB girl means being confident in your body no matter what. It means following your dreams, no matter how scary or how many people tell you it won’t happen. Its self awareness and knowing your strengths and being ok with your weaknesses while also working on them. This AB girl wants to spread positivity, and I strive to make people feel GOOD INCLUDED LOVED HAPPY JOYFUL ACCEPTED when they leave me.”
Cannot get enough of this AB girl? Keep up with Denise on her social media accounts @craigerdrake and @denise.drake !
