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Ciji Siddons

@cijisiddons

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Entrepreneur. Investor. Writer. Storyteller. Speaker. Creative.

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1. For real, I can never move or quit this gym because people are so complimentary there and words of affirmation are like currency to me!

2. I have been working on my relationship to my own body for decades at this point and while I consider it the healthiest it’s ever been, I’m certainly not immune to finding flaws or seeing imperfections. I think my real growth has been around noticing things like cellulite and then wearing shorts anyway.

With that said, I am grateful to this kind man for reminding me this morning that there can both be a dimple in my thigh and I can be strong… and I get to choose which of those I focus on.

3. Hold me accountable to freely giving out compliments because I’m guilty of thinking something about someone and not telling them. And I would love to make someone’s day simply by acknowledging the strength and magic I see in them. taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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2 days ago

One of the things I’ve noticed about myself is that when my mind gets survivally and starts spiraling about things that may or may not even be happening, my instinct is to make my life really small.

I start to hoard my resources, I pull back on spending, and I tend to go lone wolf style and stay in my little bubble

This week I was dealing with something that was taking up a lot of mindshare and it was admittedly, stressing me out so when @lacibuller and @lesliesuder invited me to an event for @zoes_goal , I was hesitant to commit because my energy felt so constricted.

A few days ago though, I started to ponder a new idea…

What if my work is to focus on building my belief in my resilience and my ability to bounce back instead of focusing so much thought on possible negative outcomes to situations that typically haven’t even happened yet…

That question started to shift my perspective and yesterday morning, I asked myself, “Ciji, if you really felt resilient, what would you do with your day?”

And that answer was the easiest no brainer answer ever. I’d get my ass in my car, drive to LA, and support a foundation and a family that means the absolute world to me…and that’s exactly what I did.

Sharing this story because I imagine you may relate…and if you don’t, then I’m sharing it so you check out the work that @zoes_goal is doing. by @cijisiddons

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3 days ago

I think when people say these, it’s with good intentions.

I know that was true for me.

And when I did use them, it was because I genuinely believed them.

Over the last few years though, I’ve really started to dissect both my language and my underlying motivation and what I’ve found is there are perspectives about success and growth that are more empowering to me than any of these.

If these work for you, by all means, have at it.

If they don’t, let me know which one you’d want a reframe for that might help it hit different ✌️ taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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9 days ago

Quitting gets a bad rap and in fairness, I used to villainize it too but the older I get, the more I realize how empowering it can actually be.

It’s ok to decide that what was once for you no longer is.

It’s ok to try something new and decide you’re a no.

It’s ok to feel complete with things that you were once committed to.

It’s ok to enjoy dabbling.

It’s ok to be an excellent starter and not a great finisher.

And it’s ok to follow the inspiration for as long as it lasts and then move on.

I used to dominate myself into submission and destroy myself in the name of completion. And you know what’s so much more freeing?

Giving myself the freedom to experiment, explore, be a yes today and a no tomorrow, and not hold myself accountable to outdated beliefs that if I change my mind, I’m somehow, a failure ✌️ taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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16 days ago

When I graduated college, success meant finding a job that would give me health insurance.

When I was waitressing and bartending, success was working as many hours as possible so I could pull in the most in tips.

When I got into network marketing, success initially meant making a little bit of extra money while I was in grad school but when my business started to take off, so did my opinions about what it was all supposed to look like.

At some point during that journey, success started to mean more. More money. More rank advancing. More accolades. More accomplishment. More recognition. More stage time. And more significance.

And no matter how hard I worked or what I achieved, when that became my barometer, I inevitably felt like a fraud.

I was having a conversation this week about what success looks like to me now and I’ve been sitting with that question ever since.

Here’s what I think I’ve landed on…

Success, to me, is having choices.

It’s a peaceful quiet mind that doesn’t torment me for not being smart enough, skinny enough, wealthy enough, or acknowledged enough.

It’s doing work I’m incredibly committed to with people I deeply care about.

It’s feeling fulfilled and satisfied in the mundane and quiet as much in the loud and momentous.

It’s knowing that I might not experience all of this in every moment but I have the skills to access it any time.

And it’s allowing myself to change my mind.

Because if I’ve learned anything over the last few decades, it’s that what I believe to be true today might not be so tomorrow. And learning to be flexible, unattached, and mentally agile is kind of the secret ingredient to it all ❤️ taken in Heisler Park by @cijisiddons

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a month ago

For the last 3 years, I’ve been referring to this season of life as undefined and ever evolving and what I think I’m finally starting to realize is that being in the middle is kind of my sweet spot.

I’m a seeker by nature.

And because of that, I’ve been on what feels like a never ending journey of unraveling my former self and growing into my future self.

And, spoiler alert…

There is no playbook on exactly how to do that for any of us.

The internet (and the world for that matter) is filled with a lot of people with good intentions, interesting ideas, and fascinating perspectives who claim to have it all figured out.

And what I’ve learned about myself is, I don’t want to be one of those people.

I want to be in the middle, working my shit out, peeling back new layers, running experiments, and sharing stories that are exciting at times, challenging at others, and honest in all the ways…even if that doesn’t make me an authority on anything other than simply being myself in a world where that can feel perpetually more contrarian by the day ❤️ taken in Main Beach by @cijisiddons

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2 months ago

I spent the first half of my 30’s acquiring a lot of stuff because I thought material items and how people viewed me made me successful.

I spent the second half of my 30’s getting rid of all of the “stuff” because I wanted to know myself, absent of all the vanity metrics.

I’m now in my 40’s and I’m ready to experience the culmination of it all. Knowing who I am and what I value so deeply…and embracing the bougie side of me that still very much exists.

I think that’s new the game I’m ready to start playing ✌️ join me if you’d like!

P.S-If you haven’t met Einstein, say hello to the nearly 6 month old fluffy rebel that has been dominating my life in the most fun way ❤️ taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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2 months ago

It’s seems like everyone I know, myself included, is in some version of reinvention these days and at least in my experience, it’s looked nothing like I expected.

Maybe foolishly, I anticipated a linear journey from point A to point B and instead I’ve been having this fascinating experience that seems to be a mix of disconcerting, exciting, awkward, sometimes inspired, and often, very uncertain.

And at least for me, it’s not just reinvention. It’s discovering who I am in this season of life. It’s a lot of looking at the past and acknowledging what I no longer want to bring with me while looking into the future and asking myself who I want to be.

I’m currently in the midst of being presented with what could be one of the greatest opportunities of my life and I’m simultaneously working through new limiting beliefs that are coming to the surface. I’m recognizing that the birth of this new season also comes with the death of a lot of previous versions of myself (apologies for the dramatics but like, I am who I am.)

I have been a student of personal development and taking myself on for 15 years. And yet, I find the greatest catalyst for my own growth is in sharing with my homies.

I have some pretty cool shit going on right now. And it feels wildly confronting and vulnerable AF at the very same time.

All this to say…if you relate, you are my people! taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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3 months ago

I don’t end years thinking they were the worst year ever and I don’t really go into new years thinking they’ll be the best year ever. Every year tends to be pretty good…with of course some challenges littered in.

So far, 2026 has been exactly that.

This week, I was reminiscing about how I came into January feeling really out sorts, dealing with some health stuff that took me by surprise, and basically getting my mental ass kicked. Shoutout to starting progesterone because it was a light switch that got me from feeling like a watered down, empty version of myself to bringing me back to life basically overnight. Everyone’s body is different and for me, shifting hormones took me by surprise. I was anxious, crying over made up scenarios that weren’t happening, and feeling wildly irrational. It was gnarly. And I’m very grateful to have gotten back to myself before the chaos of February hit.

February 11th, I found out Madonna had an aggressive tumor in her nasal cavity and February 24th, I said goodbye to the sweetest dog in the world.

Add to that side swiping a cement pole with my car (whoops) and some business things that didn’t go as planned and it would be easy to look at Q1 and feel like 2026 just ain’t my year. But even in the midst of some unpleasant experiences, I’m overcome with gratitude (…but again, shoutout to progesterone because I cannot imagine losing my dog while my hormones were out of whack.)

I’ve had people show up in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve gotten more support than I could’ve asked for. I’ve navigated things I didn’t necessarily want to experience in ways that I’m extremely proud of. I’ve gotten to see that I’m stronger than I thought and softer than I realized. And I’ve had fun along the way. I’ve laughed a lot. I’ve learned even more. And I have so much to look forward to.

I don’t know what my intention for this post is other than a desire to storytell. I think I’m unapologetically back to using social media like it’s 2014. Sharing long winded thoughts for the sake of it…no AI needed because while it has its place, my self expression certainly isn’t one of them. taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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6 months ago

I’m not an expert on grief like, at all. In fact, I’m someone who hasn’t dealt with alot of death in my life but I’m also someone who processes through speaking, sharing, and writing so far be it for me to not make social media my online journal of personal thoughts…

It’s been 5 days since I lost Madonna and while I’m handling it better than almost anyone expected, I’m also realizing that even if my mind is in full acceptance and is truly comforted by the way it happened, my body is still experiencing a degree of shock.

I spent all day yesterday ruminating on putting a deposit down on a puppy (that I still kind of think is meant to be mine) but I couldn’t quite pull the trigger. And as someone who tends to be quite decisive, it helped me realize that there was something happening underneath the surface that I wasn’t dealing with.

After a conversation with a friend, I made the decision to make no decisions. On anything. For at least a week. And almost immediately after agreeing to that, I realized that my obsessive looping thoughts were really just my mind trying to compensate for my body still processing the loss.

The last 5 days, everything has felt so quiet. No dog feet on my hard wood floors. No playful noises when I haven’t given her attention for a bit. No pawing at me for pets. And no mindless conversation with an animal that wouldn’t respond but would always hear me.

The silence has felt deafening. And yet, I’m also a believer that the body keeps the score. And my body is so clearly telling me to take a pause.

And while I so badly want to distract myself, I also know that if I avoid it, I’ll miss out on the learning and growing and processing that’s just another gift Madonna’s death is giving to me.

I hold zero opinions about how others move after the loss of a pet. I’m certain another dog is in my future. Maybe next week. Maybe next month. Maybe next year.

But right now, I’m choosing to sit in the discomfort of the stillness and trusting that on the other side is a deeper connection to myself, my intuition, and the pup that gave me 8 magical years ❤️ taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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7 months ago

There’s an inevitable club that every dog owner will join, no matter how much they don’t want to, and this week I became a member when I said goodbye to the sweetest, fluffiest little nugget in the world.

For the last 8 years, Madonna has been by my side through everything and processing the relatively sudden loss of her has left me both heartbroken and also, weirdly at peace with the reality that our magical time together is complete.

I knew when I decided to get a puppy that my day to day life would change but what I didn’t realize was that who I was as a person, at a visceral level, would transform.

This dog cracked me open in ways I never could’ve imagined. She made me a softer, gentler, more open, and more loving version of myself. And it’s because of who she helped me become that I know I can navigate the massive loss I already feel without her presence.

The love I have for this animal and what she’s given me is impossible to express and while I’m so fucking sad that her short little life is over, I’m also so wildly present to how privileged I was to have this homie as long as I did.

I am who I am because of her. Beach walks and reality tv marathons will never be the same. But more importantly, I will never be the same because Madonna changed me in the best possible way.

Thank you to everyone who’s loved her alongside me over the last 8 years. She was never at a deficit for acknowledgment and attention, that’s for sure.

Madonna ❤️ taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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7 months ago

When I stopped publicly building a business in the online space, all of the sudden, everything I based my identity off of…my income, my status, and the recognition I was receiving…became irrelevant.

And who was if not those things?

The last 3 years, I’ve been on a deep dive of finding myself, wholly and completely, absent of all the vanity metrics that I once used to measure my worth.

It was a reckoning with the loss of who I thought I was. And I don’t think I’m alone in that. I think a lot of us have these external conditions that we believe make us who we are…until we lose them, for one reason or another, and we’re left to sit with way more questions than we have answers.

And yet, being on the other side of it, having a knowingness in who I am without any qualifiers, has been one of the most profound and transformational processes I’ve ever taken on.

Because it’s led to a trust in myself, in my intuition, and in my own internal guidance that I wouldn’t have had otherwise ❤️ taken in Laguna Beach, California by @cijisiddons

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8 months ago