This Is Your Sign

Spiritual Awakening, Overcoming Chronic Illness, and Healing

Interview by Hailey Bethke | Photography courtesy of The Balanced Blonde

She’s soulful and spiritual and has that extra magnetic sparkle that effortlessly makes others feel seen. Jordan Younger, the founder of The Balanced Blonde, was spiritual before it was stylish—let’s just say the early 2000s didn’t define the “cool girl” as the young woman sharing about the soul’s journey, shopping for adaptogenic herbal remedies, and tuning into her intuition. Younger has openly shared her personal growth and evolution online since she started her blog, The Balanced Blonde, in 2013. What began as a platform to share clean vegan recipes later transformed into a greater wellness collective to share about spiritual awakening, aligned friendships, overcoming chronic illness, and most recently, conscious parenting and becoming a fabulous mama to her son, Atticus.

We asked Younger to share her evolution in the wellness space over the last decade and her secrets for healing, cultivating a community, and tapping into a greater sense of spiritual well-being. Read on for an exclusive heart-to-heart conversation and guidance on stepping into the most authentic version of yourself.

VIE: What inspired you to start The Balanced Blonde?

JY: Thank you so much for having me! I am honored to be here and to connect with your readers. I started The Balanced Blonde in 2013 to document the healthy vegan recipes I was obsessed with creating, but it quickly became so much more. I started on Instagram, and a few months later, I made a blog to go with it. Rather than sharing recipes only, like I saw other food bloggers doing (there weren’t that many of us at the time), I decided to share much more about my life. Or, I don’t think I “decided” so much as I “had to.” I felt an innate need to share deeply, connect with my audience, and get to know them. I always say the blogging life chose me.

After blogging about vegan food and my healthy lifestyle while living in NYC for the first year of my brand, I realized that although the blogging career wasn’t a “thing” yet, this seemed like a really exciting way to make money while doing what I truly loved. I started reaching out to wellness brands and doing collaborations, and I created my first merchandise line, The Blonde Vegan Apparel. We were at the forefront of creating products for influencer audiences. It was an exciting and fun time.

VIE: We would love for you to share about your journey with chronic illness. What lessons has this taught you, and what advice would you give to someone who is also navigating this experience and road to healing?

JY: Thank you so much for this question. Chronic illness is a real beast and doesn’t usually get the spotlight it deserves. When something is chronic—meaning there is no cure, and technically, you have to deal with it forever—it’s hard for other people to understand it. They’re like, “Oh, you look fine, so you must be fine,” and that’s just not the case. It can be an isolating experience. It is another thing that makes me grateful for my career on the internet because blogging about my journey has made me feel less alone (and another perk is that I can do it from bed—chronic illness means a lot of time in bed).

To give you the details: I was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2018 after a little over a year of experiencing mysterious symptoms and feeling absolutely awful. Some of the symptoms were full-body hives, extreme chronic fatigue (I couldn’t even lift my arm to reach for a glass of water on my nightstand), brain fog, joint pain, uterine fibroids, hormone imbalances, ringing in my ears, and overall lack of motivation even to keep going. If you had seen the Energizer bunny I had been before this diagnosis, you would know what a big shift it was for me. I was too exhausted even to live my life—I just wanted every commitment, every responsibility, every person who needed something from me, everything, to go away.

I did a million things to try to heal; it was my full-time job for years. Ultimately, I realized no one was going to heal me but me. I learned a lot of spiritual lessons from the experience. I also learned how resilient I am, who my true friends are, the importance of leaning into support, and the extreme significance of tapping into my soul’s true nature and essence. Even though I loved my life, becoming an entrepreneur so young turned me into a workaholic. I had to find my way back to balance, a journey I am working on daily!

VIE: What is a struggle you’ve navigated related to spirituality or wellness and a tool you used to help heal? Do you still use that resource today?

JY: The biggest struggle was the Lyme battle, and that ended up being a spiritual, health, wellness, mind-body-soul journey. It ticked all of the boxes. The biggest thing I had to learn was how to slow down, have boundaries, and say “no.” The tool that helped me to heal most was psychedelics. It’s not something I recommend to everyone, but it radically shifted my life. Right now, I am not in an active stage of using psychedelics—because I feel like I have a lifetime of integration to do after several very deep plant medicine journeys over many years. We’re talking ayahuasca, psilocybin, and ketamine therapy. I have great reverence for these medicines. The shifts are unexplainable but so miraculously deep and life-changing.

VIE: How do you live a vibrant, healthy life? What is one health or wellness ritual that you never skip, no matter how busy life gets?

JY: After years of not having the energy to live my life, it means being energized, fueled, nourished, and invigorated from the inside out. As long as I have my health, I know I can set the world on fire. The most important things to me daily are spending time with my family, being the best mom and wife I can be, and caring for my body. The rest is secondary. For rituals I never skip, I meditate daily, even if it’s a quick one! I recently launched my meditation platform for anyone looking for fun, easy, and quick but deep and effective meditations!

VIE: What does spiritual wellness look and feel like to you? Have any practices or resources helped you connect deeper in this area?

JY: Spiritual wellness, for me, looks and feels like a deep sense of inner peace, alignment, and purpose. It’s a state of being where I feel connected to my inner self and the greater universe, where I find meaning and a profound sense of contentment by being exactly who I am. Mostly, it means being present with my family and being a guiding light for the people I love.

 As far as practices, getting into nature, doing yoga, meditating, being alone with myself, tapping into my psychic abilities, and being present in daily life have helped me grow and expand in these areas. I have a lot of spiritual mentors who have guided me along the way. I love traveling solo; it brings about the best awakenings. I find the less pressure we put on ourselves to “be spiritual,” the more we can live in the now and live a spiritual, attuned life.

VIE: What is one challenge you have experienced that people wouldn’t guess from the outside looking in, your life on social media, or your success with The Balanced Blonde?

JY: Oh wow, that’s a hard one because I share so much online that I feel like I am the opposite of mysterious! When I experienced debilitating anxiety in early 2023, it absolutely rocked me to my core. It was so scary. It was my first (and hopefully only) foray into an actual mental health breakdown—or what I prefer to call an awakening—and it was the worst thing I have ever experienced by far. In some ways, it made Lyme feel like a walk in the park. I am so grateful to the support team around me and for the courage to get through it and know brighter days were coming.

VIE: We love The Balanced Blonde: Soul on Fire podcast! What has this journey been like for you since entering the industry? What do you hope listeners will take away from your platform?

JY: Thank you so much! The industry has changed so much. I started my blog in 2013 and the podcast in 2016. Especially when I began the blog, it was a different world. I loved being online at that time because there was nothing to lose, no one to compare yourself to, and honestly, the social media space was the Wild West. People were sharing the weirdest images of themselves with the tackiest filters, and we thought it was all simply amazing. I miss those days. There was a lot of support because the blogging community was small—we pretty much all knew about each other. Now, I find out about new influencers with over three million followers daily, and I’m like, “Wait, how did I not even know this person existed?” It’s wild. I am grateful the industry has exploded, and I have always felt the more, the merrier. But I do feel nostalgic for those OG days. Also, before Instagram changed its algorithm, everyone who followed me actually saw my content daily—that is something I miss!

For future episodes, I am excited to keep growing, expanding, and sharing about all things 5D. That is what I am really passionate about. I hope listeners will take away that life is meant to be loved, that spirituality is cool, and that falling in love with yourself and becoming your own best friend will be the catalyst to absolutely everything.

VIE: What is one of your talents that lies deeper than what meets the eye?

JY: Honestly, I would say my passion for storytelling. A lot of people can share their lives online, but those who can do so with longevity and real authentic excitement to create community are fewer and further between. My readers and podcast listeners genuinely feel like family to me after all these years. I mean it when I say they are like my long-lost best friends from all over the world!

At this stage, I have also seen a lot of influencers “come and go,” and when someone sticks around and remains dedicated to their brand and audience, I believe that long-term devotion is felt. The blogging life chose me. I found a way to blog even in the fourth grade. I was a staple in the AOL chat rooms, giving advice to other kids in cyberspace. I guess you could say the passion runs deep—and it is a talent, by the way, to talk to strangers all day and find a way to connect!

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In 2024, Younger will release a healing memoir she has worked on for years. She also just launched a meditation platform, Soul on Fire Meditations. Her podcast, The Balanced Blonde: Soul on Fire, is released weekly. Connect with Jordan Younger on Instagram @thebalancedblonde, on the podcast, or send her an email to learn more!

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Fun Facts with Jordan Younger

One piece of advice you would give your twenty-year-old self: It’s all working out, and everything is right on time. Don’t rush the process. Every stage of the journey is magic; all it takes is a shift in perspective!

Favorite affirmation: Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.

A life-changing read: Bringers of the Dawn by Barbara Marciniak. This book is a forever favorite. I usually reread it once a year. I had a wild experience with it this year where I ended up opening it to reread it on the day that aligns most with the Pleiadian constellation (28 degrees of Taurus)—you can’t make that shit up. If you are into star seeds, fifth-dimensional consciousness, alien things, and #NotFromHere life, then this read is a must. It’s all about fifth-dimensional consciousness, which is my true passion and what my forthcoming book will be about!

One thing that will always make you laugh: My two-year-old son, Atticus, and the inside jokes he and I have!

An intention for 2024: To be as present, happy, joyful, and at ease with my family as possible. To soak in every moment and feel completely content with all that is.

Favorite form of movement: I’m a hot yoga girlie for life!

A simple joy you experience in your daily routine: Making breakfast with my husband, Jonathan, and Atticus!

Favorite piece of The Balanced Blonde/Spiritual Moms Club merch: The “This Is Your Sign” tee! The angel number design on the back is my everything. I love that it’s both classic and super unique. I am very proud of that one!